


Different

by thathermitweirdo



Category: Hermitcraft, Minecraft - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe, Attempted Murder, Blood, Blood and Gore, Blood and Injury, Deception, Descent into Madness, Emotional Manipulation, Gen, Insanity, Kidnapping, Lies, MCYTober (Video Blogging RPF), Madness, Manipulation, Mental Breakdown, Mild Language, Mind Manipulation, Minecraft, Murder, Violence, mentally breaking
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-08
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:15:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 26
Words: 26,620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25145287
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thathermitweirdo/pseuds/thathermitweirdo
Summary: After an accident with Hels and Ex, Mumbo is acting....Strange. Grian and Iskall take notice, the two clearly concerned for the welfare of Mumbo. After all, the Mustached hermit was lying, disappearing at times, and being downright rude. Grian has even seen Mumbo holding a small knife, cussing over and over again to himself.Grian and Iskall have to find out what is wrong, before Mumbo is stuck like this, forever.
Comments: 46
Kudos: 106





	1. The Start

It was cold, the rough winds seeming to rock a few of the uneasy shops. Mumbo trudged through the shopping district, holding himself as he lightly shook. Although he wore a black suit, it didn't seem to put up against the harsh winds. Mumbo shivered in his dress shoes, slightly talking to himself. It calmed the mustached hermit down, as he tried his very hardest to reassure himself.

"It's just a bit windy, Mumbo. Nothing much..." He said to himself, rubbing his hands together and letting a puff of cold air out of his mouth. Mumbo walked across the mushroom island, the moon and stars above him offering very little aid to the Redstoner's poor eyesight. The winds started to pick up, as dark storm clouds covered his one source of light. Mumbo looked up at the sky, watching as tiny raindrops fell onto his face, rolling down his cheek and dropping down his chin. At first, the cool water shocked the tired hermit awake. 

It was late at night, and Mumbo was confused on why he was up. He could have been sound asleep at his base, but the Redstoner's mind was flooded with ideas. Mumbo wasn't sure what time it was, all he knew was that it was early, no hermit even close to waking up.

A crack of lightning caused Mumbo to jump up in surprise, as the rain began to tumble from the sky. It was coming down much harder than before, the normally relaxing rainfall now bothersome and painful. Mumbo dashed for the closest building, ripping his suit coat off his body and raising it over his head, preventing the rain from crashing against the Redstoner's jet black hair. He ran through the rain puddles, the water splashing against Mumbo's suit. His normally nice pants and dress shoes were now covered in mud and mycelium. Tango's rocket shop was closest to Mumbo, but it was still a distance away. When the Mustached hermit arrived in the building, he was drenched in water and Mycelium.

Mumbo let out a sigh of relief, dropping his suitcoat onto the glass flooring. Mumbo ruffled his jet black hair, shaking the excess water onto the floor. When he was done, the exhausted redstoner slumped down against one of the chests, the wooden storage device creaking against his weight. Mumbo shut his eyes, the rain and thunder in the distance calming his nerves. It seemed so relaxing, sitting on the warm glass floor. He could feel the gusts of wind, which seemed to flood through the open door of the rocket shop.

His eyelids seemed to flutter, as the darkness outside seemed to soak into the shop, flooding in like a tidal wave. It was relaxing Mumbo, making his shoulders slightly slump, as the Redstoner let out a light yawn. The air became heavy, almost like you could choke on it. Thunder cracked across the sky once more, causing Mumbo to jump, holding his chest. His heart was aflutter, the mustached hermit barely able to catch his breath.

When he was sure that he could relax, Mumbo sank back onto the glass floor, sliding from the chest onto the glass floor. His back rested on the glass, which warmed his entire body. Under the glass, rested magma blocks, which helped Mumbo calm his nerves even more.

"Why does something feel off...?" The Redstoner questioned, looking up at the roof of the shop. It was so quiet, the sound of faint rain and his own thoughts being the only thing that Mumbo could hear. It was probably early in the morning, maybe around 2 am. Mumbo didn't know why he was up this early, he thought it was much later than it actually was. It wasn't horrible, he'd never seen hermitcraft this...quiet. 

The inky black sky seemed to clear up, moonlight shining over the puddles, and leaking into the rocket shop. The moonlight slowly crept towards the Redstoner, before it covered his body. Mumbo covered his eyes, rolling onto his side to prevent the moonlight from waking him up. The warm glass felt much more...comfortable, than his normal wool bed. Heat just seemed to radiate off of the glass, enough so that Mumbo pressed his cheek against the glass, his entire body warming up and relaxing as he did so.

Although the feeling of dreadfulness wouldn't leave the pit of his stomach, Mumbo still relaxed his aching body. He shut his eyes, his entire body flooding with warmth. The Redstoner swore he could hear footsteps behind him, but his body wouldn't move on command. He didn't fight, sinking deeper and deeper into the fog of his mind, before Mumbo eventually fell asleep, forgetting all about the dreadful feeling, and the footsteps that seemed to grow closer.

~~~~~~

Running.  
That's the only thing that HelsKnight could focus on.  
He couldn't ignore the burning pain in his legs, but he needed to. He had to make sure he escaped. He didn't want to go back to the nether-like realm that he had been trapped in. All he wanted was to make sure that this server gets burned to the ground.

Hels jumped through a nether portal, landing in a rainstorm. He shook in the rainfall, not used to the cold winds. Hels glanced around the mycelium covered island, all sorts of buildings ahead of him. There was a spot where a few hermits head's were sitting in front of colored concrete powder. He took a few steps forward, looking at the dreadful island. Hels hated everything about this place, including the rain that wouldn't stop pounding against his dark helmet. 

"Why hello, Welsknight."

A sort of dagger was being pressed against his neck, slightly stabbing into his skin. Hels let out a light chuckle, causing the person behind him to growl at the knight's laughter. Hels ducked down, escaping the tip of the dagger. He whipped around, kicking the figure off his feet. They slammed against the mycelium ground, mud splashing onto Hels's armor. Hels grabbed the dagger that the figure dropped, pointing it at the figure and watching as they sat up. Thunder cracked across the sky, and Hels could make out their attackers details. 

They resembled Xisuma, with Red and black armor that was broken, slightly dirty as well. He wore a black helmet with a red visor, which was cracked, so he could see the imposter's eyes.

"You aren't Wels..." He hissed, trying to get to his feet. Helsknight kicked the admin's copycat to the ground. 

"And you aren't Xisuma.."  
"You think I was Xisuma? You must be stupid."

"Who even are you..?!"

"Call me Evil Xisuma. You don't seem like Wels, so who are you supposed to be?"

"Helsknight-" He said, the knight offering his hand to help Ex stand. He was hesitate at first, but Ex took Hels's hand, The knight pulling him to his feet. Hels smiled, slightly chuckling.

"So you're 'evil'."  
"You say it like you doubt me.."  
"Well, this place is still standing, isn't it?"

"I'd destroy this place...but my brother keeps stopping me. If he was out of the way, I could blow this place to dust!"

"I guess we have one thing in common.

We both want to burn this place to the ground."


	2. Dragged along

Mumbo didn't remember moving, but when he woke up, he wasn't in Tango's shop. The warm embrace of the heated glass was gone, replaced with a cold feeling that sent a horrid chill throughout his body. The Redstoner's entire body was weak and fragile, he couldn't even move his arm. He felt paralyzed, stuck like this, forever. For some reason, Mumbo didn't mind. Something in his foggy mind told him that everything was okay. It was a cold voice, their tone mean and harsh, but the Redstoner accepted his little voice in his head, shutting his eyes and letting his whole body go limp.

"I saw him wandering around earlier. He's not the one I was looking for, so I wanna let him go, before he wakes up. You made sure to...handle him, yes?"

"Yeah yeah..he won't be able to move for hours."

Echoing footsteps began to come closer, before something grabbed the mustached hermit by his shoulders. Mumbo couldn't seem to open his eyes, forced to let his kidnappers drag him along. There was a slight echo, with water dropping and making a light splash in the distance. From what Mumbo could tell, he was in a cave, his wrists and neck bound by a lead. The two continued to drag Mumbo along with them, paying no attention to when Mumbo would cut his legs on the rocks they were dragging him over. 

The Redstoner managed to open his mouth, letting out a weak cry in pain. His back and legs were covered in all sorts of jagged scars, with blood rushing out of the newly formed cuts. His clothes were mangled and ruined, with fresh blood beginning to stain his white undershirt as well. The mustached hermit had left his over coat in Tango's shop, and it would have been helpful right about now. Mumbo began to lightly shake, as it was the only movement he could manage. He was freezing, it felt like they were in a snow biome. 

Mumbo's head went foggy, but he tried his very hardest to stay awake, not wanting to give into his kidnappers. The two that took Mumbo began talking once more, before one of them stopped, growling at Mumbo. Mumbo's back was now completely covered in blood, with some cuts that needed stitches in order to stop the immense amount of bleeding.

"He's bleeding."  
"So? He'll just respawn in bed."

"Won't it say, like, 'MumboJumbo died from blood loss thanks to Helsknight and Evil Xisuma'? I don't wanna get banned by my idiotic admin brother."

'Helsknight? Evil Xisuma? They were the ones behind my kidnapping?' Mumbo questioned you himself, continuing to keep himself awake, and listening in on the twos conversation.

"We could throw him into lava."

"No, that won't work. It'll say something like; 'MumboJumbo swam in lava to Escape Evil Xisuma."

"Fine. Do you have a healing potion or something?"

"I can make one, I have some stuff for it."

Mumbo felt his bands loosen, as he was leaned up against the cave's stone-cold wall. He could barely breathe, feeling like an anvil was crushing his back. Everything was numb, but it was faintly stinging in pain. Mumbo let out a few more moans of pain. His head was fuzzy, but it felt like someone was shoving daggers through his skull, right into is brain. Someone took notice to his struggle, as footsteps approached the aching Redstoner.

"Shut up you f*cking mistake! We're right under the shopping district. If someone hears us, we're f*cking screwed."

Dagger like nails dug into Mumbo's skin, before he was forced to open his mouth, a sticky warm liquid rushing down his throat. At first it was sour, but then a sweet sensation replaced the horrid taste, rather quickly in fact. The liquid sent a slight pain through Mumbo's back, but after a couple of minutes, his entire body was calm, no more buzzing injuries on his back.

"Let's carry him this time, and be quick about it. It's still early, but the hermits will be up soon."

Mumbo's head pounded against his skull, as the two evil doppelgängers lifted the Redstoner, Ex holding him by his shoulders, and Hels by his ankles. The two struggled to keep a grip on Mumbo, but they managed to escape from the cave, harsh sunlight stinging their eyes. The sun was rising over the mycelium island, signaling that the hermits would start flooding the shopping district relatively soon. With this newfound Knowledge, the two rushed to the town hall, practically diving through the nether portal. Their footsteps were fast and out of rhythm with one another, but the two managed to run with the tall Redstoner in their arms.

The heat of the nether made Mumbo's head spin even more, although the Redstoner still felt like he was freezing. He let out a couple of weak coughs, a bit of feeling returning to Mumbo's right arm. The mustached hermit shook as he tried to lift his arm, but ended up failing, his body frail and weak.

"F*ckF*ckF*ckF*ckF*ckF*ckF*ck...."  
"What's with all the cursing?"  
"I saw Xisuma, let's get the f*ck out of here."

Mumbo let out a faint cry, Before Ex covered Mumbo's mouth with his gloved hand, preventing the exhausted hermit from alerting the admin. Mumbo didn't even try to retaliate, practically melting into the arms of the two psychopaths. On the other hand, Ex and Hels were trying their best to hold onto Mumbo, keeping him from falling out of their grasp. Ex didn't know which portal was Mumbo's so he had to guess, picking a random portal and helping Hels carry the tired Redstoner through. 

When they made it through the portal, the two found themselves surrounded by grey wood, and a bit farther ahead was a large pile of Diamonds. Hels looked at Ex, who looked back and nodded in response. The two placed Mumbo by the entrance to the gigantic tree, before running back towards the nether portal.

"Come on, let's hurry and get out of here. We need to start our plan."


	3. Strange disappearance

"Mumbo?" Grian called out, glancing around the mustached hermit's base in search of him. The Redstoner was nowhere in sight, his base seemingly abandoned. Grian quietly crept through the underground base, continuing his search for Mumbo, who wouldn't respond to the small gremlin's calls. This caused Grian to slightly worry, but he kept his calm, continuing to trudge throughout the missing Redstoner's base. Grian made his way towards Mumbo's bed, which made it clear Mumbo had left in a hurry.

The Redstoner tended to be neat, always making sure his room was clean, and his bed was made. But all his blankets were ruffled, in a messy pile on the floor. That almost scared Grian, as it didn't seem to add up in his mind. Why would Mumbo disappear this early in the morning? Normally when Grian stopped by at this time of day, Mumbo was barely out of bed, the Redstoner tending to overwork himself at night. Still, where could Mumbo be at 7:16 am? Unless he spent the entire night at his industrial district, Grian couldn't think of a place where Mumbo could be.

The small hermit ran towards Mumbo's portal, hopping through and fading into the nether. The heat was unbearable, causing Grian to roll up the sleeves on his sweater. Heat still sunk into his skin, practically burning Grian as if he had a fever. Grian continued to push forward, heading towards Mumbo's industrial district portal.

He saw Wels and Xisuma in the far distance, entering a far away portal together before Grian could get a good glimpse at the two of them. He could tell that Wels was holding a couple of dark red potions, which didn't resemble any potion that the small hermit had seen before. Xisuma held a bow, a quiver filled with arrows attached to his back. It was strange to see hermits up this early, as many always sleeper in on weekends like today.

Grian almost ran into Iskall, the tired Swede disorientated and exhausted from working all night long, not thinking of the repercussions for the following day. Iskall's bloodshot eyes and messy beard have away his tired nature, causing Grian's scolding glare and angry frown to deepen. The small hermit took Iskall's hand, forcing the Swede to sit down, their back against the obsidian portal where Mumbo's industrial district was. Grian sat down next to the Swede, placing a hand on their shoulder. They jumped in return, glancing around and trying to comprehend what was happening.

"You alright, Iskall?"  
"Yeah..I was just late last night working on my farms. I'm fine, I had a couple cups of coffe, It should keep me awake.."

"Well it's clear it isn't working. Come on, you need sleep dude."

Grian pulled the Swede from off the ground, Iskall practically relying on Grian to help them walk. The small hermit trudged with Iskall, trying to help them get back to their base. Iskall's portal wasn't too far away, so it wasn't to hard for Grian to lead the cyborg back to his tree. Iskall occasionally tripped on their own legs, but that was just Iskall suffering from sleep deprivation, so Grian expected it. After Iskall almost collapsed onto Grian for the fourth time, they arrived at Iskall's portal, Grian pulling Iskall through the portal. 

The jungle air was cold, yet damp, like a rainstorm was approaching. Of course, it didn't matter, as Grian would most likely get Iskall back to his bed before the storm hit. Iskall was finally getting coordinated, but he was still exhausted, the Swede letting out a large yawn before slightly stumbling back a bit. They rubbed their eye, As if Iskall was hallucinating. Confused at the Swede's actions, Grian glanced over to where Iskall had been looking at.

Mumbo was unconscious, his white shirt red and bloody, Mumbo's hands bound with lead. His hair was a mess, also stained with blood, and faint chunks of Gravel and rock was caught in its knots. Dark green particles swarmed around Mumbo's head, as the mustached hermit barely moved as Grian and Iskall approached him. The two looked at one another, both asking for help, the two clearly confused at how the Redstoner managed to get here. 

Grian bent down, trying to shake Mumbo awake. He wouldn't respond, not even moving as Grian began to violently shake Mumbo, trying to get the Redstoner to wake up from his unconscious state. Grian took notice of the particles swarming around Mumbo, the faint green swirls almost like angry bees, as the potion particles continued to flow around Mumbo's head.

"Iskall, get some milk. I think a potion did this to Mumbo.."

The Swede was already on it, taking notice of the particles before Grian. Iskall was running back with a metal bucket of milk, slightly wobbling and spilling a bit of the milk. Grian stood up, taking the milk from their hands before Iskall could spill any more. The small hermit ran to Mumbo's side, slowly pouring the milk down the Redstoner's throat. The particles around Mumbo began to vanish out of thin air, one by one. Mumbo groaned in pain as the last few particles faded away, causing Grian and Iskall to smile. 

Grian pulled out his pickaxe, ripping the leads that Bond Mumbo's wrists. The mustached hermit opened his eyes at this, running his hand through his messy raven hair. He didn't even notice that he was covered in blood, the spoon of a hermit still confused on why his head hurt so badly. He could barely remember what happened, the last thing that the Redstoner remembered was falling asleep in Tango's rocket shop, so how was he here? Grian and Iskall looked at one another, before looking back at Mumbo, studying the bloody hermit.

"Mumbo, are you okay? You don't look so good.."

"Yeah..! 

I'm fine...

I just feel kinda....

Different."


	4. Plans and problems

Helsknight and Evil Xisuma sat in a damp mineshaft, Hels watching as Ex began to brew a few dark red potions. Ex stirred the caldron with a blaze rod, causing the crimson water to bubble, dark particles flying out of the pot like smoke. Hels tapped his armored shoe against the ground, frowning in annoyance. They had spent the last couple of hours cooped up in the cramped cave, and Hels was becoming impatient.

"You haven't even told me the plan!"  
"Fine. Do you really want to know?"  
"Yes!"

"Alright then. We need to eliminate my brother. If he's out of the way, then nobody can stop us from tearing this server down, one block at a time..But first, we need help. We need someone to join us, someone who can get away with kidnapping Xisuma.."

"Was that why you were following Mumbo?"

"Goodness no. He's too....stupid. Or 'spoonish' as the hermits like to call it. He wouldn't be persuaded too easily. I thought he was somebody else, someone who is a bit more....reasonable."

"Alright then, I'm on board..who are we going after..?"

Ex turned around, leaving the blaze rod in the cauldron as he walked to a double chest, rummaging through a the random items. He pulled out a file, with all sorts of scribbles on the front of it. Ex opened it, handing the file to Hels. There were photos of hermits paper clipped to loose leaf paper, all sorts of messy notes scattered through the file. There were four photos of hermits, Doc, Bdubs, Grian, and Cleo. Hels took out one of the photos, examining it before letting out a heavy sigh and looking back at Ex.

"What are these supposed to be?"  
"Our candidates."   
Ex said, pointing to Doc's photo.

"Doc, A creeper hybrid with anger issues. He was one of the first to help start the war last season, not to mention he tends to have a sort of rivalry with most, such as Grian and Bdubs. He's also worked on secretive projects such as area 77 before, so most wouldn't be suspicious of any strange activity." 

He pushed Doc's photo aside, pointing at the next photo, which was Bdubs.

"Bdubs tends to be very prideful. He's easy to persuade, I even watched as Grian and Scar led him with a 'candy trail'. He'd be a perfect candidate, but I'm not sure if his pride would get in the way of our plans. Which is why I feel as though our next candidate is perfect..."

Ex held up Grian's photo, smiling at the little gremlin.

"Grian is one for Chaos. He could be easily convinced to join us if we gave him a stack of TNT and said 'have fun'. Although he wouldn't be good to kidnap Xisuma, I feel as though he could create a perfect distraction, giving us enough time to steal my brother away."

"Alright then, but who's the zombie?" Hels said, holding up Cleo's photo. 

"Cleo is another candidate, in case something...goes south. She's undead, which can prove very useful at times. She also tends to be...violent. There are Cases of her yelling 'I'll break your legs!' And such... I've been trying to keep an eye on all of these hermits, but it's hard."

Hels nodded, standing up and walking to the bubbling cauldron, looking at the deep red water.

"What's this for?"

"It's a potion I've been working on. It should help make our candidates a bit more...agreeable."

"Alright then, who do we go after?"

Ex smiled from behind his helmet, grabbing an arrow from his quiver and dipping the tip of it into the red potion, causing the cauldron to glow, illuminating the dimly lit cavern.

"Why not all four of them?"

~~~~~~~

Mumbo felt like something was off.  
And it horrified the Redstoner.

He woke up bloody, with blurry vision, and no memory of what happened. He definitely felt strange, but he didn't know how to figure out what. The Redstoner lay awake in his bed, staring up at the ceiling, trying to navigate through the foggy mess of his mind. The groggy feeling in the pit of Mumbo's stomach didn't help either, only making it so that he couldn't get to sleep. After tossing around in his bed for a few hours, Mumbo decided he needed to do something to clear his head. Mumbo lifted his bedsheets off his tired body, slowly but surely sitting up and stretching. His groggy mind seemed to fight him on this decision, but Mumbo didn't feel like laying back down.

It was a day after Mumbo woke up, the Redstoner still trying to wrap his head around what was going on. Mumbo wandered out of his base, walking into the bubblevator and shooting up into the center of his unfinished mega base. Mumbo's tired legs could only carry him so far, but he didn't care, dragging his hand across the stone bricks made up from his base. When he was sure that his legs were going to give up on him, Mumbo leaned against the wall, looking up at the night sky.

"why can't I remember anything...?" Mumbo said, Banging a fist against his forehead. That only made his blurry vision worse, the mustached hermits world slightly spinning. He slumped down onto the ground, pulling his knees to his chest. Mumbo felt utterly useless, he couldn't even think of how to do redstone. 

It felt like he'd lost himself.


	5. Rescuing and fights

Xisuma was wandering the streets of the shopping district, adjusting his helmet ever so slightly. The admin had been doing his rounds, looking around for anything out of the ordinary. He tended to do this whenever he wasn't busy, just to make sure no glitches were ruining the server. So far, nothing seemed to bad. The admin did need to pay a visit to Doc, the creeper hybrid had been sick for a couple weeks, and he could barely do anything for himself. Xisuma had promised to check up on Doc, just to make sure his recovery was going well. The admin grabbed his bug-like wings and a couple of rockets, flying into the sky and glancing around the mooshroom island. He could see the start of Doc's goat statue in the distance, it's mighty quartz horns shining in the sunlight. Xisuma boosted his speed with a few rockets, flying close to the surface of the water below him. Bdubs and Doc's base was coming up fast, with the two half's of a house coming into view from the mountain they sat upon. 

Xisuma landed in Doc's front yard, quickly tapping on the creeper's door before letting himself in, glancing around Doc's quiet house. There was almost no sound, with the only noise being Doc's cat lightly purring as it slept the day away on top of an old chest. He only got it to annoy Bdubs, as he seemed to hate the cat's constant purring. Of course, Doc didn't mind, but the cat was normally curled up by Doc's feet, watching the creeper as he slept. Did that mean that the creeper was out of bed? 

"Doc! Are you out of bed?! Joe said to stay on bedrest!"

The admin quickly moved up Doc's spiral staircase, which led up to his pink bedroom, cursory of Bdubs. Doc's messy bedsheets were covered in blood, and a couple of wires from his mechanical side. But the creeper was nowhere in sight, causing Xisuma to worry even more. That is, until he could hear a few hushed voices coming from Doc's closet. Xisuma took off his helmet, pressing his ear against the door and listening to the voices on the other side.

"Shut up! I'll stab you right here and now if you don't! I don't care what Ex said, I'll kill you if I need to!"

Xisuma quickly put his helmet back over his head, before kicking in the birch door, stopping in his tracks at what he saw. Wels was towering over Doc and Bdubs, the two were tied together with lead, and they had a cloth tied over their mouths. Wels has a quiver filled with a few arrows, all dipped in a sort of red potion. He had a bow strung over his shoulder, and he held an enchanted sword in his right hand. He whipped around, Wels's red eyes flashing with anger when he saw Xisuma.

"So you're the admin that Ex told me about..."

"Wels! What are you doing to them?!"

"First off, it's Hels. Get it right. And second of all, I'm not doing anything to them..yet. Your brother wanted to wait until we got everyone together..it makes things easier."

"Alright then Hels..tell me where Evil Xisuma is, and I'll let you off the hook.."

"You think I'd make a deal with you? I'd be stupid if I'd ever trust someone like you."

Xisuma pulled his diamond sword out of his inventory, watching as Hels gripped the handle of his own sword. The two charged at each other, exchanging blows in the small closet. Any time Hels would swing, Xisuma would instantly block his attack. Xisuma kicked Wels's evil side in the chest, causing the knight to stumble backwards, ramming his back against the wall. Xisuma ran over to the two hermits, slashing his sword to free the two from their bind. 

"Bdubs, get Doc out of here, run as far as you can!"

Bdubs nodded, helping the weary creeper stand. He was still sick, and he could barely walk, the six foot tall German having to lean on Bdubs for support. Hels growled at the two hermits, dropping his sword and loading a red arrow, pointing it at Bdubs, who was trying to get Doc out of the closet as fast as possible. Hels shot the arrow, only to be stopped by Xisuma, who slashed in the air, cutting the arrow in half before it could hit either of the two. Hels turned his attention to the admin, who was guarding the door as Doc and Bdubs quickly made their way down the stairs. Hels growled before letting out a heavy breath, clearly annoyed by X's interference.

"You little....fine, if that's how you want to play it, then you're lucky. Ex made a little something for Mumbo a few days ago, but I'm sure it will affect you the same way.."

Hels reached for his quiver, pulling out an arrow that's tip was covered in a dark green potion. He pulled the string of his bow back, before shooting the arrow. Xisuma moved out of the way, letting the arrow get stuck in the wall. But Hels wasn't done, the knight continuing to load arrows, shooting at Xisuma. The admin moved with great speed, dodging each and every arrow with ease. When X saw his opening, he jumped in the air, about to cut Hels right in the back. The knight seemed to expect this, as he turned around before Xisuma could swing. He had already loaded an arrow, and he let go of the bow's string, letting the arrow lodge itself into Xisuma's armor. Hels moved out of the way, the admin falling onto the floor and dropping his sword. The arrow barely pierced his skin, but the effects of the potion was starting to hurt Xisuma's mind.

"Wha-....what did you do to me..?" Xisuma questioned, ripping the arrow from his chest and examining it. His vision was fuzzy, and he was starting to see double as he stared down at the arrow in his hand, the potion particles starting to swirl around the admin's head, making him even dizzier than before. Hels strung the bow over his shoulder once more, picking up Xisuma's sword, as well as his own.

"Don't worry X. By the time you wake up, this will all be like a bad dream."

Xisuma tried to fight the drowsy feeling in the back of his head, the admin standing up and leaning against the wall for support. Hels just left, and Xisuma tried to go after him, before the admin's shaky legs gave up, Xisuma crashing against the carpeted floor. The spot where the arrow used to be was now numb, the calm feeling beginning to spread, before it reached Xisuma's mind, everything seeming to go black.

"M-....maybe a few minutes of sleep wouldn't hurt...."

The rest seemed to be a blur..


	6. Crazed potions

Bdubs> GUYS  
Bdubs> WE HAVE PROBLEM  
Tango> lol what's up  
Joe> did you mean to say, 'We have a problem'?  
Beef> what's wrong Bdubs?

Bdubs> Grian! Cleo! Helsknight said that Ex was after you! You guys need to hide! 

Wels> is that where Hels went? To team up with Ex?

Bdubs> yeah, me and Doc were captured by him, but X came out of nowhere to save us

Joe> did you mean, 'Doc and I'?

Cleo> Joe I swear I will break your legs

~~~~~~~

Grian shut off his communicator before the conversation could go even more south. Was that what happened to Mumbo? Was he hurt by Ex and Hels? The small hermit sat down on his bed, gently running his hand through his hair, staring with intensity at the wooden flooring. Footsteps were coming up the stairs of his hobbit hole, causing Grian to glance around in a panic, jumping behind his bed to hide.

"G-Grian...?"

Mumbo's rough and tired voice came from the staircase, with the footsteps stopping at around the top of the steps. Grian peaked over the end of his bed, looking at the mentally exhausted hermit. Mumbo's suit was wrinkled and messy, his hair no better. His eyes were bloodshot and had dark bags hanging under them, like he hadn't slept. Mumbo ran his hand through his mustache, a small yawn escaping his lips. He sat down against the wall, shutting his eyes and mumbling a few words underneath his breath. Grian glanced around once more, making sure Mumbo was alone before he emerged from his hiding spot, lunging to Mumbo's side, the tired hermit barely paying attention to the little gremlin.

"Mumbo? Mumbo are you okay?!"

"hmmm......? I'm.....im doing alright.....I've just been really tired lately...."

"Why are you here if you're so tired..?"

"I saw the texts, it isn't safe for you to be alone.."

"Mumbo, I'm fine. But it was nice of you to worry about me."

The Redstoner didn't even respond, only slightly bobbing his head before completely passing out, collapsing on the ground. Dark green swirls flew around Mumbo's head, causing Grian to worry even more. The little Gremlin stood up, pulling Mumbo into his bed, letting the mustached hermits relax atop his mattress. It was clear Mumbo wasn't going to wake up for a while, he seemed so tired.

"I don't get it... didn't the milk work...?"

"You really think we'd let milk get in the way of our potion effects?"

Grian whipped around, pulling his sword out of his inventory and pointing it directly at Ex's neck, the admin's brother barely even flinching, holding his posture as he studied Grian. Ex lightly smiled from behind his helmet, as he used one of his gloved fingers to push the sword away from his neck. 

"What do you want Ex?!"

"I want you to join us, Grian. I want you to help me take control of this server! Watch it burn!"

"You're a psychopathic if you think I'd join you!"

"Oh, I knew you'd never join me willingly, which is why I made this."

Ex pulled out a splash potion, the deep crimson color shining in the torch lighting of Grian's base. The small hermit was clearly confused, mainly scared at what this newfound potion could do. He needed to stall until someone found him, he needed to make sure Ex didn't use the potion.

"So is this your plan? To potion is all into destroying the server?!"

"That would be ridiculous. I'm bringing a few select hermits to my side. And once I take control from Xisuma, I'll turn PermaDeath on, and let my hermits loose. It's better to die by the hands of your close friends, isn't it?"

"You're insane.."

"And you will be too! Isn't it beautiful?"

"Ex! Step away from Grian!"

Ex gripped the potion tighter, as the evil twin turned around, a small group of hermits flooding the upstairs. Xisuma was in TFC's arms, the admin curled up tight as his waist was wrapped in bloody bandages. Ren stood holding a bow and arrow, with Keralis and Iskall holding Diamond swords, their weapons pointed directly at Ex. He slowly lowered his potion, backing into a corner, with all the hermits closing in on him.

"I could turn you all crazy! Right here, right now!"

"EX!"

All attention was turned towards the staircase, where Hels was running up, quickly loading a red tipped arrow, he pointed it directly at TFC's head, causing all the hermits to slowly back up, Hels joining Ex's side.

"That's right! Stay back..."

Iskall growled while gripping tight to their sword, but nobody moved, with Ex and Hels having the advantage, being able to throw a potion and knock everyone out in a matter of seconds. Ex lazily saluted the hermits, him and Hels escaping while still holding tight to their weapons. Even when they were gone, nobody seemed to move, too afraid to at least.

"Did....did we just let them get away...?"  
"More importantly, what happened to Xisuma?!?"

TFC showed off the tired admin in his arms, Grian watching as his pale expression was revealed to all, X's helmet no longer over his head. Iskall wasn't interested in the admin, they were watching as Mumbo lay fast asleep in Grian's bed, the tall hermit's legs practically dangling off Grian's small bed. Grian walked over, placing a hand on the Swede's shoulder.

"Is he....?"  
"He said something about being completely exhausted before passing out. Not to mention these potion particles."

TFC glanced over, his frown deepening as he glanced from Mumbo to Xisuma, letting out a heavy breath.

"I don't mean to alarm anyone, but Mumbo and X have the same particles flying around their heads. So whatever Ex did to Mumbo, Ex did the same to Xisuma."

"This isn't good, we barley know what happened to them! What are we going to do?!?"

Everyone glanced at one another, all eyes quickly darting from the unconscious hermits to each other, before Grian took a small step forward, his eyes still fixated on Mumbo.

"We're going to have to help them, no matter what."


	7. Retarget

"Come on Mumbo! We need to go!"

"Hrnngg..?"

Grian shook the redstoner awake, pulling him out of the comforts of his bed. Iskall helped the mustached hermit stand, Mumbo leaning on them for support. The other hermits had left to make sure Cleo was okay, leaving Mumbo, Grian and Iskall all in the small hermits bedroom. Mumbo was still drowsy, and no matter what Grian and Iskall did to try and shake him awake, the Redstoner still seemed to be exhausted. The three hermits walked down the stairs, Grian and Iskall trying to get Mumbo to move a bit faster. Just because Ex and Hels were gone for now, doesn't mean that they're gone for good.

"Come on Mumbo! You need to work with us!"  
"wha...? what's going on...?"  
"Hels and Ex did something to you and Xisuma! You need to snap out of it!"

"Hels...? Ex..?"

"Yes! Don't you remember what they did to you?"  
"I...it's all really fuzzy.."

Grian and Iskall looked at one another, watching as Mumbo ran both his hands through his hair, the stress in his eyes clearly noticeable. He began hyperventilating, little beads of sweat dropping from his forehead. Mumbo took a deep breath, putting on a smile and trying his hardest not to worry. Xisuma could just ban the two, this wouldn't be a problem! He just had to stay calm, protect those who the two doppelgängers were after. Mumbo was still exhausted, but he fought the tired feeling in his head with everything he could, focusing at the problem at hand. He turned to Grian, who was also mentally stressing out.

"Grian?"  
"Hm?"  
"We need to get you out of here...Ex and Hels are after you..!"  
"Mumbo, I'll be fine, but you-"

"I'm okay now, Iskall take Grian to the others."  
"Where are you going?"

"I'm going to get some redstone and weapons. I'm not going to let those two hurt my friends."

Before Iskall and Grian could argue, Mumbo darted off into the jungle, leaving the two hermits alone. The Swede looked to Grian, the two of them clearly worried about their mustached friend. Iskall opened his mouth to speak, but a rustle came from the bushes, causing Iskall to grab Grian's wrist, pulling the small hermit away from the bushes, while he pulled out a sword, the Swede pointing it at the rustling leaves.

"Who's there!?"

ZombieCleo poked her head out, her worried expression fading away at the sight of Iskall. She jumped out of her hiding spot, holding an enchanted bow in her arms. Iskall lowered his sword, letting out a heavy sigh and relaxing his shoulders a bit.

"Cleo? I thought the others were going to meet you at your base."

"I know..but I saw Ex, and I was sure he was about to shoot an arrow at me. I got to my nether portal in time, and I've been running since.."

"Alright, well we need a safe place to hide for now. I'll call the others, but for now, can you two start on a safe house?"

Cleo and Grian looked at one another before nodding, Cleo pulling out an axe, Grian grabbing a Pickaxe. Iskall nodded, pulling out his communicator and letting his weary smile fade. He knew that they wouldn't be safe until Xisuma could ban the two, so for now, they had to hide.

~~~~~~~

"Another failed attempt?"  
"The girl ran when she saw me. Not to mention I fired two of our special arrows. Now We have one left, along with the potion."

Ex slumped down against an old chest, the two villains meeting up in their hideout. The two had barely managed to escape, and their plan had started to fall apart, making Ex go even more insane then he already is. He let out a low growl as Hels paced back and forth, one hand on his chin as he began to plan out the next move for the villains.

"You gotta have a back up plan, when X wakes up, we're going to be banned!"

"He won't wake up. Not for a while at least. Those tipped arrows I gave you are much more....powerful then the ones we used on Mumbo. He'll barely remember his name."

Hels nodded, sitting down next to Ex. Xisuma's twin took his helmet off, shaking his head and revealing his Snow White hair. Ex put his helmet on the ground, before pinching the bridge of his nose and cussing, over and over again. He took a deep breath when he was done, turning to Hels.

"It clear that the hermits know who we're after..which is a big problem.."

"So what do we do know?"

"We're going to have to choose a new target."


	8. Captured

Honey....slime blocks.....redstone dust.....repeaters..... what else would Mumbo need? 

Probably some food, that would be useful. Possibly some weapons as well. Mumbo wasn't the best at PVP, but he thought maybe Iskall or False could use them? That would be the safest move, maybe some shields would be useful as well. The Redstoner pulled his communicator from out of his pocket, reading a few texts that Iskall and Grian had been sending him. They were mainly just concerned on where The mustached hermit was, but Mumbo only reassured them that He was perfectly fine. Mumbo put my phone back into my pocket, as He grabbed a few iron ingots, beginning to craft a couple of shields. 

It was quiet, crickets beginning to chirp as the sun began to go down, setting over the gigantic jungle. It would have been peaceful, if two psychopaths weren't loose somewhere in the server. Mumbo decided to pick up the pace while crafting, a bit worried that He was being..watched. Was he being paranoid? He felt like there are eyes glued to the back of his head, watching the Redstoner as He finally finished crafting. Mumbo shoved as many shields as he could into a shulker box, lifting it up and moving towards the elevator. His legs felt heavy and tired, And Mumbo couldn't seem to figure out why, that strange fog seeming to cloud Mumbo's mind once more. 

The Redstoner slowly walked toward the bubblevators, Mumbo's footsteps becoming uncertain as his legs shook, his entire body beginning to go numb. 

What was going on? 

Why was He feeling like this? 

Why were his eyelids going heavy? 

Why does he hear footsteps?

Who's here?

Is Mumbo even moving?

What's going on?

Why is everything dark?

Questions buzzed around Mumbo's head, the groggy feeling returning to the pit of his stomach. Something sharp pierced Mumbo's skin, the numb feeling leaving his body as The Redstoner snapped awake, holding his chest, which was now bleeding. Mumbo's vision was fuzzy, but slowly the world returned, Hels and Ex standing above Mumbo's body, which was relaxing on the stone flooring.

"I told you, we just needed to stab him until he woke up!"

"Whatever Hels, let's greet our new friend."

"wh-what.....?"

"You're going to help us out." Said Ex, bending down and tilting head to make eye contact with Mumbo. The mustached hermit's heavy eyelids screamed at him, telling him to go to sleep, that Mumbo should ignore the two. But Mumbo's brain wouldn't let him sleep, all of hid fear dulled down the strange fog in his head. 

"I....I don't want to help you.....!"

"Fine then, would you rather help us, or do we have to give you this..?" Ex held up a crimson potion, slightly shaking it before he uncorked they top of it, a spicy smell filling the air and causing Mumbo to choke up a bit. Hels grabbed the Redstoner's chin, threatening to pour the dark red potion down his throat.

"O-okay! I'll help!"  
"Good, I'm glad you could be reasoned with."  
"What do you even want from me anyways?!"

"We just want you to convince the other hermits that we're gone. We can't have the hermits hiding from us, now can we?"

"B-but...I-I...how?!"

"Make something up, lie to them. I don't care. They need to think that we're gone."

"But I can't lie! I'm horrible at it!"

"Fine. I'll handle this. But don't think you're off the hook. Take all those resources and this blueprint, construct a prison hidden away in a mountain or something."

Before Mumbo could speak again, Hels grabbed the redstoner's arms, steadily lifting Mumbo up and off the ground. He forced the Mustached against the wall, not like He could fight back, Mumbo's entire body was tired, He could barely think straight. Ex reached into Mumbo's pocket, pulling out his communicator with a smile. He turned away, beginning to type away at the screen.

"Hels, give Mumbo the antidote for our little potion."

"You sure? He could run off and tell the others."

"If he does, we'll find out, and I'll personally make sure Mumbo pays for his mistake..."

Hels nodded, pulling out a white potion and shoving it down Mumbo's throat, the cool and sweet liquid seeming to clear the Redstoner's head. Everything seemed to return to Mumbo's senses, and He could stand on his own once again. Hels shoved a shulker box into Mumbo's hands, handing him an iron pickaxe as well. 

"Get to work, and if you tell anyone, we'll make sure you and your friends suffer.."

~~~~~~~

Mumbo> guys  
Mumbo> I'm working on something, so I will be pretty busy

Mumbo> but I think I found a way to stop Hels and Ex

Mumbo left the group chat.

~~~~~~~~

"What was that all about..?"  
"Not sure kid.." TFC said, scratching his beard.

Everyone went quiet, which wasn't common for the hermits. Most were watching Xisuma, anxiously waiting until he woke up. He was resting in Tin's arms, the admin barely breathing. The small group of hermits had taken his hemet off, making sure he wasn't hurt too bad. The only thing that was wrong was the potion particles. They wouldn't go away, no matter what the hermits tried. Most were starting to worry, but Grian was more worried about Mumbo.

The way he sent those last few texts...it didn't feel like....Mumbo. Grian thought to himself. He was probably going crazy, but He just worried about Mumbo. The small hermit glanced to Iskall, who was sitting with Stress in the corner. Grian had constructed a large underground room, but the ceiling was low, and everything was made out of stone and dirt. It wasn't the best, but it was safe..for now.

Iskall seemed equally as worried, but Grian didn't go over to talk to him. He simply pulled out his communicator, texting Mumbo privately to make sure he was okay.

~~~~

Grian> you okay dude  
Mumbo> I'm fine  
Grian> stay safe, im worried about you..  
Mumbo> sure, whatever 

~~~~

Something was definitely off.  
But what..?


	9. Lies and Potions

"You almost Done, Mumbo..?"

"Y-yeah.." Mumbo said, growling under his breath. He had never felt so used before. He either listened to the two psychopaths, or his friends would suffer. Mumbo couldn't let that happen, he couldn't deal with the guilt. He had constructed a large underground prison using blackstone, and all sorts of dark blocks. On one side of the room, the wall was lined with cells, with Mumbo having constructed around 10 cells, each able to hold 2 people. The other wall was rather empty, only used to hold chests that Hels had taken the liberty of filling up with chains and weapons.

Speaking of Hels, the knight walked through the reinforced door, a golden key swinging around his finger. Hels had protected the hidden prison, making sure that nobody could get in or out, without Ex or Hels of course. Even Mumbo didn't know how to escape this place, which made the mustached hermit worry for his own safety.

"Now Mumbo, all you gotta do is send the hermits a photo of us in this prison. Got it?"

"So you're just going to trick everyone? Make them think they're safe?"

"We have more planned than you realize, Mumbo. Now just shut up and listen to everything we say."

"I don't wanna be some...some...puppet!"

Ex grabbed Mumbo's shirt collar, holding a netherite sword to his neck, and watching as the mustached hermit instantly shut up. 

"Now, unless you want hell to rain down on you, you're going to help us out some more."

"F-........

Fine..."

~~~~~~~

"Mumbo!"

The mustached hermit looked up from his chest, his face morphing with fear before he grabbed a rocket, shooting off into the sky and disappearing into the jungle. Grian couldn't get another word in, watching as the smoke from his rocket began to fade away. Mumbo has sent multiple texts, showing photos of how he had locked up Hels and Ex, but something felt off. After that, he wouldn't respond to anything Grian or the others had sent, and anytime someone called out to him, he would drop everything (literally) and run as fast as he can.

Something was clearly wrong with the Redstoner, but nobody could focus on that right now. They had to focus on the admin, Xisuma. Since Hels and Ex were locked up, Xisuma could ban them with ease. But there was one problem. The admin wasn't waking up. He woke up once, but he was in a sort of trance. He mumbled a few words, none of which we could understand, before passing out once more. People had been taking shifts while watching him, with no sign of Xisuma waking up anytime soon.

Grian pulled out his communicator, letting out a breath as he stared down, Mumbo still hadn't seen his messages. Was he okay? What was wrong with him? Grian was just about to go after Mumbo, he needed to talk to the Redstoner. That is, until he heard fireworks from behind him, causing the small hermit to turn around, looking up and watching as Iskall slowly descended, landing on the grassy hill by Mumbo's base.

"Hey G, What are you doing here?"  
"I was going to look for Mumbo, but then he took off when I saw him."

"I was coming to look for him too..he's definitely up to something."

"We need to go after him, whatever he's up too, it's clearly not good."

Iskall nodded, the Swede pulling their communicator out of their pocket and typing a few words on its screen, before their frown deepened. Grian walked a bit closer to the Swede, and Iskall showed the small hermit what they was so upset about.

TFC> X is up  
TFC> But something isn't right.  
TFC> everyone, my base, now

~~~~~~~

"Damn, these hermits really like blowing your communicator up with texts, don't they?"

"W-well Grian tends to worry-"

Ex didn't let Mumbo finish, throwing the small device onto the ground and stabbing his netherite sword through it, preventing Mumbo from ever using it again. All hope was crushed inside of the Redstoner, as now he really couldn't call for help. The chain around his ankle was really starting to bother the mustached hermit, but he couldn't do anything about it now, and if he did, he would surely be tortured by the two doppelgängers. So Mumbo shut his mouth, keeping his eyes glued to the piece of lined paper in front of him. Ex walked over, yanking the paper from his grasp and reading over the small blueprints, before ripping the paper in two, throwing the scraps onto the ground.

"You call that redstone? You're supposed to be designing death traps, not farms."

"I-I know Ex, but I'm no good at it-"

"He's no use Ex, this moron is useless. We should just kill him.."

"He'll respawn, Hels. Which is why we need to get my brother. But for now, let's focus on Mumbo."

Ex bent down, causing Mumbo to try to keep his distance, the mustached hermit pressing his back against the wall while visibly shaking. Mumbo was terrified, knowing exactly what these two were capable of. Ex looked to Hels, simply nodding at the knight. Hels pulled out a crimson potion, uncorking the top of it and moving towards the Redstoner, who was shaking even more now.

"I-I though you said you wouldn't use that on m-me!"  
"It's called lying, Mumbo. You're going to get very used to it."

Before Mumbo could respond, Hels shoved the bottle into his mouth. A spicy liquid was burning Mumbo's throat, but Ex was holding a sword to his throat, rendering Mumbo useless compared to the two psychopaths standing before him. He wanted to spit the liquid out, he wanted to choke and die, oh so badly. Mumbo slightly choked as Hels yanked the bottle out of his mouth, the Redstoner barely able to handle what was rushing through his mind. Things were turning foggy, the world fading in and out, time and time again, before Mumbo could barely hear the voices that's were right next to him.

"Will this really work?"  
"It has to. I'll make it work. Even if it means torturing Mumbo until he can prove useful."


	10. Controlled

"Well how does it feel, Scar?" Bdubs asked, watching as the newly elected mayor situated himself on the diamond throne. Scar just smiled, adjusting his mayoral sash while relaxing on the large pile of diamonds.

Bdubs was still a bit worried, he just wanted to ignore Hels and Ex. Doc still wasn't doing well, but Ren was watching the German creeper for the moment. It let Bdubs take a break, finally relax as he could let out a satisfied sigh. He could confidently say that Scar was mayor, thanks to his hard work.

"I still can't believe I won!"  
"A landslide victory no less. Everyone wants you to turn this shopping district around!"

"Yeah, I just hope I can do good. But I still can't believe Mumbo didn't get a single vote. He had a campaign manager so It honestly baffled me.."

"Come to think of it...I didn't see Mumbo at the election results.."  
"I haven't seen Mumbo either...come to think of it, I haven't seen him in days.."

Bdubs and Scar glanced at one another worryingly, before Scar jumped to his feet, hopping off the diamond throne and turning to Bdubs, who was sitting on the miniature diamond block. Scar looked out at the shopping district with a frown planted on his face.

"I think we should go and check on Mumbo. It's not like him to go missing for a couple of days without telling anyone."  
"You're right. But where could he be?"  
"Let's check his base. That's our best bet for now."

Bdubs nodded, taking a stand and moving towards the new mayor's side. Scar's worried expression depends as the two walked down the sandstone stairs, making their way to the nether portal. Something told Scar that this wasn't a good idea, that he should turn around and leave Mumbo alone. But he kept moving, simply following Bdubs as the two wandered through the nether, both on edge for what was about to come.

~~~~~~~

"Mumbo?" Bdubs called out, his voice echoing through Mumbo's dust-coated base. It looked abandoned, with no sound except for the pair's echoing footsteps. The two entered Mumbo's storage room, chests lining the walls. Spiderwebs were tucked away in the corners, and the chests were practically grey with dust. Scar let out a few light sneezes, barely able to breathe in the dusty room. It seemed like nobody was here, the base unkept and messy.

"Come on Scar, let's go search somewhere els-"

A crash came from Mumbo's enchanting room, causing Scar to jump in surprise, clinging onto Bdubs. More sounds came from the room, causing the two hermits to look at one another before looking back down the hall. Bdubs was the first to move, swallowing his fear and slowly moving past the bubblevators and around the corner. Scar was close behind, hiding behind Bdubs for protection. The two peaked their heads around the corner, watching as Mumbo seemed to be throwing a fit. He ran his hands across the bookshelves, throwing all the books off of them while cussing.

"Shit! Fuck! Bitc-"

"Mumbo...?"

The Redstoner suddenly snapped back to reality, as he stood upright, straightening his back. Bdubs and Scar moved a bit closer, watching as Mumbo cussed under his breath, keeping his back facing the two hermits. The mustached hermit didn't move as Bdubs lightly tapped him on the shoulder, only continuing to talk under his breath.

"What do I do about these two..?

A-are you sure....?

Alright. If you say so.."

"Mumbo? Who are you talking to?"

The Redstoner turned around with a large, unsettling grin planted on the ends of his face. His left hand was squeezing his right hand's wrist, his nails digging into the skin. But that's wasn't what scared the two builders. Mumbo's eyes were white, empty, and soulless. In a way, he looked dead, but his sinister smile said otherwise. Scar and Bdubs looked at one another before Scar slightly coughed, taking a step forward towards the Redstoner.

"We just wanted to make sure you were okay, you haven't been around in a while, is everything alright..?"

"Everything is just splendid!" Mumbo said, a hint of agony and pain in his voice. Bdubs let out a forced laugh, grabbing Scar's wrist and pulling him away from the crazy hermit.

"W-well, it was nice to see that you're okay, but we'll be on our way now-"

"No no! Why don't you stay a while and chat! I insist..."

Mumbo reached into his suit coat, pulling out a small iron dagger that was drenched in a black potion-like liquid. Before anyone could react, Mumbo grabbed Scar by his shirt, stabbing the mayor in the side of his waist. Blood oozed out of the cut, but the black potion seemed to counter the blood, turning it black as it poured out of his cut. Mumbo stopped Scar onto the ground, kicking the mayor to the side with no mercy towards him. Mumbo pulled out a black potion from his suit pocket, dipping his dagger into it and watching as the black liquid slowly made it's way down the side of the dagger.

"You're turn!" Mumbo said, taking a cheery tone in his voice. Bdubs glanced to Scar, who was laying in a puddle of black blood, unconscious. He looked back at Mumbo, who was slowly cornering the builder. 

"W-why are you doing this Mumbo?!"

"I'm only listening to orders! Don't worry, I'm sure Hels and Ex have a plan for you two!"

Before Bdubs could respond, Mumbo threw the dagger, which lodged itself into Bdubs's thigh. The pain was worse than Bdubs could imagine. It was like his leg was on fire, his leg now unmovable. A dark wave crashed through Bdubs's head, as Bdubs began to fade in and out of consciousness. Every time he closed his eyes, it was like time sped up. He shut his eyes, and when he opened them again, Bdubs was being dragged across the floor, Mumbo humming to himself as he dragged the bloody hermit along. 

Bdubs shut his eyes once more, his head fuzzy and jumbled. He could barely think, the pain in his leg had now taken control of his body, Bdubs only able to slightly shake in pain. Bdubs coughed up blood, slightly choking on his own words.

"M-.....Mumbo...."  
"Oh shut the hell up!" Mumbo laughed, watching as blood leaked out of Bdubs's leg. Mumbo was under Hels and Ex's control, he couldn't fight it. He could only smile and nod, following along with whatever the two say.

And no one could stop them.


	11. Imprisoned

Bdubs woke up laying on the floor, iron chains wrapped around his arms and waist. His legs were numb, but they were wrapped in Bandages. The blood that stained the bandages was still black, but it was slowly turning back to its normal shade of red. Bdubs used his weak arms to push himself off the blackstone floor, glancing around. Three of the walls were made out of iron bars, with one of them being made from blackstone bricks. Bdubs pressed his back against the brick wall, glancing between the two other cells to his left and right. Scar was unconscious on Bdubs's right, while another figure sat in the corner in the left cell.

Mumbo was covered in blood, holding his knees to his chest and looking away, his eyes glued to the floor. Mumbo had many more chains than Bdubs and Scar, all of them tightly wrapped around his body. He had a couple chains gripping his arms, his suit torn and ripped. A few chains wrapped Mumbo's ankles, the chains practically climbing Mumbo's legs until they wrapped around his waist. He had a collar around his neck, which was stained with dry blood. Mumbo couldn't move, the chains so short that if he tried, he would choke. He looked up from the ground, Mumbo's eyes now returned to their original shade of chocolate brown.

"Mumbo..?! W-what did you do to me...?!"

"I-I'm Sorry Bdubs....I wasn't really.....in control...."

The Redstoner tugged on the chain that was wrapped around his neck, clearly uncomfortable with the iron collar that was choking him. Mumbo was slightly shaking, the mustached hermit remembering how he couldn't do anything, only letting Ex control his mind. He saw everything that Ex did to Bdubs and Scar, and he hated it. Mumbo can't do anything, he could barely move an inch.

"Mumbo, where the hell are we?!?"  
"In a prison..I'm sorry Bdubs, I wish I could do something, but I-"

"SHUT THE HELL UP."

Hels stormed into the prison, holding a netherite sword in his gloved hands. Mumbo began shaking in fear, watching as Hels pulled out a golden key, sticking it in the lock on the door of Mumbo's cell. Hels walked over to Mumbo, unlocking his chains and grabbing him by the collar of his shirt, forcing the Redstoner to stand. Hels pulled a crumpled piece of paper out of his pocket, shoving it into Mumbo's arms.

"That's the list of supplies we need. Get to work, or Ex will do that little trick of his again with the potion. Now, so you want that?"

"N-no....."

"Good, now get to work."

Mumbo didn't speak, he just nodded, rubbing out of Bdubs's line of sight. Helsknight turned to Bdubs, laughing as the builder thrashed In his chains, slightly growling under his breath.

"What do you want from me?!"

"Nothing anymore. It's him we want." Hels said, pointing at Scar. Bdubs's eyes went wide, the builder glancing between HelsKnight and Scar. Bdubs let out a growl, pulling on his chains even harder. Hels just laughed, watching as Bdubs practically choked himself trying to get his chain off.

"That's not going to work, try all you want."  
"Leave Scar alone!"  
"We aren't going to do that. You don't understand how much we've changed our plan, I'm not letting this one go to waste."

"What do you want from him?!"  
"Now why would I tell you that? I'd rather have you figure it out for yourself.."

Hels turned away, letting Bdubs continue to try and escape his chains. When the builder realized his attempts were useless, he let out a heavy breath, crawling over to the bars that separated him and Scar. The mayor was still unconscious, inky black blood leaking out of his mouth. Bdubs frowned, trying to get Scar's attention.

"Scar? Are you awake?"

He didn't move, nor did he make a sound. Bdubs let out an angry scream, slamming his fist against the ground. He was being held hostage, Scar's life was in danger, Mumbo betrayed him, so what else could happen? What else could go wrong?

He dreaded having to wait and find out.

~~~~~~

"Tin? What's wrong with Xisuma?"

Iskall and Grian were the last to arrive, only a few hermits missing from the meeting. Everyone but Mumbo, Scar, and Bdubs were here, all gathered around Xisuma, who was sitting upright in a bed that TFC had prepared, the admin running his hand through his exposed hair. His eyes were cold, empty in a way. He looked slightly on edge, almost....scared, which isn't an emotion that Xisuma shows too often. TFC spotted the two hermits, waving them over to an open spot beside Xisuma's bed.

"Tin, what's wrong with X?"  
"One too many thing.. For one, he can't move, he can't seem to recollect ever being an admin, and he doesn't know who Ex is.."

Grian and Iskall looked at one another, then back at Xisuma, who stayed quiet, only putting on a weak smile, trying to choke out words. The admin gave up after he couldn't put together a sentence, rubbing his throat and slightly frowning. Joe ran over with a water bottle, helping Xisuma drink the fresh water. When he was done, Xisuma nodded, mumbling thank you before relaxing back on a pillow, closing his eyes and paying no attention to the large crowd of hermits gathered around him.

"So Ex has something that can wipe people's memories...?"

"Yeah, and it's not good. We need to find Ex and Hels before they cause anymore damage.."

Iskall pulled out their netherite sword with a smile, turning to the large crowd of hermits. They cleared their throat, gathering the attention of the hermits in just a few seconds.

"We're not going to let Ex and Hels take over this server, so we need to find them before they cause any more damage! Mumbo said they were being held in a prison, but I'm almost sure that they won't be trapped in it for too long. Which is why we need to go and find Mumbo, now."

One by one, hermits pulled out weapons, Axe's, bows, tridents, and swords. The hermits raised their weapons in the air with a cheer, all having a firm smile planted on their faces.

It was time to pay Mumbo a visit.


	12. Blamed

Mumbo was being manipulated.  
He hated it.  
Oh how much he hated it.

He was being used. In such a wretched way. The fiery anger bubbling inside his chest, it was killing the Redstoner slowly. He knew that it couldn't be stopped, but He only shoved all his emotions to the side. He was also trying to keep his friends out of his mind, It only hurt him, the pain in his mind so real. He didn't know how Ex took control, but he did, and that made the Redstoner fear for his mental state.

What was going to happen? Was he going to have to hurt his friends? Why him? What did they want with Bdubs and Scar?

So many questions.

So much mental pain.

So many struggles.

So little time.

Mumbo doesn't know what to do. If he fights the two, then Hels and Ex will make sure that he suffers, along with everyone Mumbo cares about. But if he silently follows along, then the server we be broken, burned to the ground as well. He couldn't make a choice, Mumbo didn't know what to do anymore. His raw anger burned his skin, making Mumbo dig his nails into his skin. Normally Mumbo doesn't show his anger, just ignoring the simple feeling. But this time he couldn't. His friends were in danger, his family was in danger.

But what could he do?

Tell everyone?

Try to help?

He felt useless. Completely broken. He couldn't help. He couldn't say anything. He couldn't do anything right. Mumbo couldn't do the simplest things. He couldn't protect his loved ones, he couldn't fight for hermitcraft. He was utterly useless.

So much anger burned the Redstoner. He couldn't control what was going to happen, he couldn't protect everyone. He just had to listen to the stupid bitches who pulled him along on a leash. They really tried to break him, and Mumbo couldn't take it much longer. If he did anything, everything was over. He was torn, the Redstoner wanting to fight, but wanting to make sure everyone was okay.

Was he stupid for feeling like this? Becoming stuck in between the two sides. The anger clawed at Mumbo's stomach, crawling up his throat and stabbing his insides. Agony and struggle was the only thing Mumbo could feel, and he didn't know how to think about it. What could he do to stop this awful feeling? What could he say to escape this living hell? How could he manage to find a way to save everyone?

Was there really a way?

It didn't seem like it.

Mumbo wanted to curl into a ball and cry. What did he do to deserve this? What did Mumbo do to make his life a nightmare? Why, why did he have to exist? Why did he have to suffer? Every. Waking. Moment.

Everything that Hels and Ex had said banged around Mumbo's skull. He knew their plan, he could stop it. By why wouldn't he? Why wouldn't Mumbo say something? Why couldn't the Redstoner Step out of the shadows and help?

Because he was scared.  
Terrified, actually.

So much pressure rested on his shoulder. Mumbo could barely process what was happening, why he was feeling like this. His head hurt, so bad. It was either from his lack of sleep, or the mental struggle he was going through. Either way, Mumbo couldn't think straight, so much struggle and panic rushing through his head, like a cold wave of water that had slammed into the Redstoner.

"MUMBO!"

Fear jolted through Mumbo's body, his legs turning stiff. He couldn't move, his arms shaking in fear as he dropped his shulker box of supplies. Mumbo had been collecting the list from his storage in his base, but when he heard Iskall's voice, he couldn't help but shake. Mumbo could hear Iskall's anger, and the Redstoner was genuinely scared for what was about to come. The mustached hermit tried to calm down, not moving as he began to speak, trying to steady his shaking voice.

"Y-yes..?"  
"Where is Ex and Hels? That prison you told us about..?"

"W-well...I-I can't tell you that.."

"Mumbo, this is super important. Turn around and tell us where the fucking prison is!"

"I-....."

Mumbo was grabbed by the shoulders, slammed against the wall of chests. So many weapons were pointed at the innocent Redstoner, and he was honestly scared.

"Where are they?!" Vintage Beef called, waving his sword in the air.

"We need to stop them!" Tango cried, pulling a splash potion of harming out from his inventory.

"We've waisted enough time!" False screamed, pointing her bow directly at Mumbo's head.

The screams only got worse.  
People shaking Mumbo.  
Cussing at him.  
Slapping him when he didn't respond.  
They knew.  
They knew that Mumbo wasn't acting right.

Mumbo cried.  
He just let the tears fall.  
Barely saying a word.   
When the hermits saw this, they didn't know what to say. Most just slowly backed away, others continued to scream in anger. Mumbo bit his tongue, refusing to say anything.

"WHERE THE FUCK ARE THEY?!" Doc screamed, cussing at the Redstoner over and over again in German.

The hermits who didn't leave continuously shamed Mumbo, slapping him as well, trying to get him to talk. Mumbo only took the beatings, smiling as the tears fell. He had to put on a brave face, to protect them all. The dark thoughts stung Mumbo's head, mind numbing headaches coming as a result. So much pain and anxiety swarmed around Mumbo's mind, but he didn't say anything.

He only stood.   
His feet practically glued to the floor.  
Letting the hermits continue to scream at him.

He had to protect them.  
He had to protect them all.


	13. Broken

Mumbo watched as Doc tied an old lead around the him, before shoving the mustached hermit to the ground, slightly growling under his breath.

"Is this all necessary..?" Grian asked, his voice slightly shaking. Grian was forced to watch as the others practically harassed Mumbo, trying to pry answers out from him. But Mumbo didn't give up, letting them attack him until the point where he couldn't take it anymore. Mumbo broke down in tears, but Doc wasn't believing him. Doc had a dark feeling that Mumbo was helping Ex and Hels. Grian didn't believe it, it was crazy, Mumbo would never want to hurt someone, he was too kind. 

"Yes Grian, there's something wrong with Mumbo! I don't trust him. Isn't it suspicious why he won't tell us where the prison is?!"

"W-Well-"

"Come on, let's leave him here. We need to find the prison, Ex and Hels."

Hesitating a bit, Grian nodded, following Doc and Iskall into the Bubblevator. Mumbo watched as his three close friends left him, after yelling at him, slapping him, making him feel like useless rubbish. A few salty tears rolled down Mumbo's cheek, as he curled up, trying to get comfy on the stone hard floor. Mumbo was burning with rage, but he didn't know why. So many things didn't feel fair to Mumbo. He was so stressed, so tired, so afraid. It felt like thousands of emotions were flying around his head, practically snapping the Redstoner in two. 

He wanted to kill Ex for making him do these awful things. He wanted to let his 'friends' know how he felt when they hurt him. He wanted to cry, he wanted to bleed from every pore in his body. Mumbo's head was racing, he didn't even noice Ex and Hels walking into the large storage area, Ex dragging a netherite sword behind him. The two noticed Mumbo's mental struggle, looking at one another with a confused expression stuck on both of their faces.

"What's with him?"  
"Don't ask me. How should I know why he's crying?!"

Ex rolled his eyes, raising his sword and slashing at Mumbo's ropes, freeing the Redstoner within an instant. Mumbo didn't move though, continuing to silently sob on the floor. He had never felt so broken before. He didn't feel like himself, he felt like an entirely different person, and Mumbo hated it. Ex and Hels looked at each other before Hels rolled his eyes, bending down and grabbing the depressed hermit by his shoulders. Hels cussed under his breath, before completely giving up, dropping Mumbo back onto the floor. He didn't say anything, the Redstoner just curling up on the floor. He didn't know what to do anymore, his mind was torturing him, every. Single. Second.

"Get up, Mumbo. We have work to do."  
"B-b-but...."  
"Up. Now."

Mumbo's legs were shaking while he stood, holding himself as Ex and Hels nodded at one another. Ex pulled a small dagger out of his inventory, placing it in the mustached hermit's hand.

"Go and get my brother, and don't let anyone stop you.."  
"B-but TFC-"

"I said, don't let anyone stop you. Bring him back to the prison, Hels and I are going to his base to look for his admin laptop."

Mumbo slowly nodded, twisting his fingers around the soft leather on the dagger's handle. Mumbo's anger seemed to flood out of him as the Redstoner gripped the handle, gritting his teeth together. He was furious, and Mumbo didn't know how to let that anger out. So he did the only thing he knew.

He shoved all of his emotions to the side.  
And began to focus on the task at hand.

~~~~~~~~~

"Hey kid, what brings you here..?"

Mumbo ignored Tin's question, hopping off the ladder and landing on his feet. He walked right past TFC, ignoring him as he called out to the Redstoner. Mumbo's expression was blank and empty, like there was no feeling left inside of him. He didn't care, Mumbo just had to do whatever Ex and Hels said, then everyone would be okay, everything would be okay. 

Mumbo held tight to the dagger that was hidden in his pocket, wanting to pull it out and stab TFC, who was following the Redstoner, trying to get his attention. Mumbo just scoffed, adjusting his tie as he began to walk a bit faster towards Xisuma's room.

"Wait up kid! Where are you going?"

"I just...I want to take Xisuma out for fresh air, that's all."

"Sorry Kid, he can't walk."

"That's fine. I'll help him."

Before Tin could say anything else, Mumbo walked away, entering Xisuma's bedroom. The admin had been reading a book at the time, his tired eyes scanning the page. He looked up from his book, smiling at Mumbo.

"Hey Mumbo! What up-"  
"I'm taking you to get some air, come on."

Mumbo pulled the admin out of bed, pulling one of his arms over the Redstoner's shoulder. Xisuma balanced himself on Mumbo, with the mustached hermit helping him walk past Tin, and down the hall. TFC didn't speak, frowning as Mumbo lead the admin towards his portal. TFC pulled out his phone, clicking on Doc's contact and beginning to type at the small keyboard on the screen of his phone.

TinFoilChef> I think something is wrong with Mumbo

~~~~~~~

"Mumbo? Where are we..?"

Xisuma glanced around the dark prison, slightly scared as he could hear muffled screams. Mumbo's emotionless expression didn't change, as he helped Xisuma walk past Bdubs and Scar, both having cloths tied around their mouths. Xisuma went wide-eyed at this, trying to escape Mumbo's grip on him. The Redstoner just let out a sad breath, opening a cell door and shoving Xisuma into the prison.

"Nice job Mumbo!"

Ex and Hels seemed to glitch into reality, with Ex holding a laptop in his arms. He smiled as Xisuma's confusions expression changed to fearful, the former admin shaking on the ground. Hels and Ex let out an evil cackle, Mumbo hugging himself, the Redstoner trying to distract himself from what was happening around him. Ex didn't care, paying no attention to the mustached hermit as he typed in a code. Ex did a little twirl as he began to glitch, changing from his normal red suit into a dark purple one, identical to Xisuma's.

"How do I look, Hels?"  
"Fucking Stupid!"

"I KNOW!"

The two let out another cackle, Xisuma looking at Mumbo with broken, sad eyes. Mumbo stared back, but his glare was shattered into millions of pieces, like the original Mumbo wasn't there anymore. The normally happy, spoonish Mumbo was dead, replaced with this depressed, broken mess. 

And that's just what Ex wanted.


	14. Manipulated

Iskall was working at their industrial district, after all the failed attempts at trying to find Mumbo's prison. They didn't want to pry the secret out of Mumbo, that wouldn't be right. So, Iskall went back to work, beginning to start a new farm. They were so busy with their work, they didn't even notice Xisuma coming behind them, X holding a swampy green splash potion in his hands. When Iskall heard the footsteps, it was too late, they turned around right as the potion slammed against their face, sending the Swede stumbling on the ground.

Iskall seemed to black out for a couple of seconds, and when the Swede woke up, they were standing, Xisuma staring at them with a smile. Iskall ran their hand through their hair, questions flooding the Swede's blurry head. Iskall was in pain, their brain practically pounding against their skull. Iskall dragged their hand over the spot on their cheek where the potion had hit, a large bandage stuck on the spot. Iskall shook their head, trying to ignore the blur in the Swede's head.

"Xisuma..? What was that for..?"  
"What do you mean?"

Iskall opened their mouth to speak, but the Swede's head went numb, and he couldn't remember what he was about to say. Xisuma helped the Swede take a seat, watching as they seemed to question what was going on. Xisuma smiled behind his helmet, but Iskall didn't see it, they were to busy trying to remember what was happening.

"What's going on, X?" Iskall asked, looking up at Xisuma, who was standing above the Swede.

"I was just telling you about Mumbo!" Xisuma said, his cheery tone of voice comforting Iskall's numb head.

"Scar and Bdubs disappeared, and I have reason to believe Mumbo is behind it..I wanted to tell you because you're Mumbo's best friend. I think he did it because he was mad about the election.." Xisuma's eyes flashed red, almost snapping Iskall out of their daydreaming trance. But the Swede's head was still numb, Xisuma's words sinking in to Iskall's mind. For some reason, Iskall believed X's words, he felt as though Mumbo was the reason the two went missing.

"Go and tell everyone, we need to make sure everyone stays away from Mumbo until we know for sure." Xisuma offered his hand, helping Iskall stand. The swede rubbed their head, before nodding, running to their nether portal.

Xisuma laughed as he watched Iskall fade away, before the admin pulled out his laptop, typing a few lines of code and changing back into Evil Xisuma. He was going to tear this server apart, from the inside out. He had already done the same thing to Ren and False, the two believing the admin's lies without an ounce of doubt. That is, thanks to the potion Ex had given them.

He was going to make sure nobody trusted anyone, Ex wanted to turn everyone against Mumbo. The mustached hermit didn't even know, it was perfect. Mumbo has already snapped, he wouldn't fight the hermits, he'd just agree, and take the blame for Ex and Hels.

Now all Ex had to do was wait.

~~~~~~~~

Mumbo was feeling a little better. Ex and Hels had let him go, saying that they didn't need him anymore. It was nice, although he couldn't tell anyone about the two, or else Mumbo would be locked up just like Scar and Bdubs. He was a little worried about the two, but if he did anything about it, he would be trapped as well. So Mumbo just kept his mouth shut, keeping to himself as the mustached hermit walked through the shopping district, holding an armful of diamonds. He had spent a few at Scar's shop, but he needed to head to the barge to pick up some-

"Oh! S-Sorry Iskall, I didn't see you there." Mumbo said, giving a weak smile to the Swede. He hadn't seen Iskall standing there, Mumbo accidentally running into them. Iskall just growled at Mumbo, folding their arms.

"Fuck off! I know what you're up to!" They said, spitting at the Redstoner.

"W-what?" Mumbo said, his voice shaky and confused.

"Stay away! Nobody likes you, you're a fucking mistake that should rot in hell!" Iskall said, shoving Mumbo backwards. Mumbo fell to the ground, dropping all his diamonds. 

"I-Iskall, what did I do-"  
"Don't speak! We know what you did, and I would be locking you up in a prison cell right now! But X want us to wait..just know I have my eye on you, and stay the fuck away from everyone!"

Mumbo stumbled to his feet, Ignoring the diamonds that he had dropped. The redstoner let tears fall out of his eyes as he bolted for the shopping district portal, a couple of hermits watching and whispering about the mustached hermit. Anxiety took over Mumbo's mind, making the Redstoner think back to the dagger in his pocket. He wanted to kill Iskall for humiliating him, the bubbling anger in Mumbo's chest beginning to rise once more. Of course, Mumbo took a deep breath, shoving all his feelings to the side once more. 

Soon, Mumbo knew something was going to happen. His emotions would take control. And Mumbo was absolutely terrified. The mustached hermit bolted back to his base, taking the bubblevator down into his underground base and boarding up the entrance. He needed time to himself, what had he done to deserve this? 

Mumbo ripped his suit coat off his body, throwing it in the corner as he slowly approached his bed. The Redstoner collapsed into his bed, relaxing on the soft pillows that cradled his head. Mumbo's mental state was horrible. He had to hold in such a terrible secret, his best friend hated him, and he didn't know a good way to let out his anger.

Soon Mumbo was going to blow.  
Letting all of his horrid emotions escape.


	15. Insanity

Mumbo studied the small dagger in his hand, blankly staring at it with no emotion in his eyes. A rush of anger ran through his body, Mumbo growling as he stabbed the knife into his bed, standing up in a rush. It was getting harder for the redstoner, Mumbo trying to comprehend all of the horrible emotions swirling around his head. He was on the breaking point, unable to think of anything other than his blind rage.

Mumbo slammed his head against the wall, over and over again, trying to get these horrible thoughts out of his head. After a while of slamming his skull against the wall, Mumbo became lightheaded, the Redstoner sliding down against the wall and laying on the floor. He didn't pay attention to the communicator In his pocket, which wouldn't stop buzzing with updates. Mumbo just rubbed his forehead, which was now bleeding, thanks to Mumbo's repeated beatings. He didn't care, he was exhausted, the mustached hermit just wanted to forget everything and lay on the floor for the rest of his life.

"Mumbo...?" The mustached hermit didn't move at the sound of Grian's voice, too exhausted from what the day had thrown at him.

Grian let out a sad sigh, slowly walking over to Mumbo and sitting down to the mustached Redstoner, and wiping the blood from his forehead. Mumbo didn't move, slightly crying as Grian comforted him, whisking how everything was going to be okay.

"Iskall hates me.....they all do..."  
"Mumbo, nobody hates you. They're just paranoid. Someone started a rumor, and it's obviously not true. Iskall and the others are being ridiculous.."

Grian scooped Mumbo up off the ground, hugging the Redstoner as tight as he could. Mumbo didn't react, simply holding still, barely breathing. Mumbo's vision was blurry, the mustached redstoner unable to think straight. His mind was an utter mess, Mumbo could only process his anger, thinking about everything that made his face burn with rage. Grian let go of Mumbo, facing the Redstoner with a frown planted on his face.

"Mumbo, are you alright...?"  
"P-perfectly fine..!" Mumbo said, a hint of agony residing in his hurt voice. Grian saw through Mumbo's act almost instantaneously, pulling Mumbo back in for yet another hug. They sat like that for a couple minutes, before screams could be heard from above the redstoner's underground base. Iskall and Doc were yelling for him, causing Mumbo to jump to his feet, glancing around frantically for a hiding spot.

"Mumbo! Calm down!" Grian said, grabbing the mustached hermit's arm, and walking him over to his bed. Grian took mental note of the blood on the wall, and the knife that had mangled Mumbo's mattress, but he didn't outright say anything, watching as Mumbo fumbled into bed, collapsing from exhaustion.

"WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU MUMBO?!" Doc screamed, his voice coming closer. Mumbo glanced to Grian for help, the small hermit drawing his diamond sword, giving Mumbo a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry, I won't let them get to you."

Grian ran out of Mumbo's bedroom, waiting by the bubblevators, where the doors had been broken down by the small hermit earlier. They were locked, and Grian was being dragged down by the magma blocks under the water, so he had to act fast. Grian watched as Iskall and Doc were dragged down by the magma blocks, the two stepping out of the water, holding Diamond swords. 

Something was wrong with Iskall, the Swede's eye wasn't brown, it was a swampy green. He looked emotionless, Iskall wearing no expression on his face. Doc was the polar opposite, his face filled with hated and anger. The creeper grabbed Grian's shirt collar, pulling him close and holding the tip of his sword to the small hermit's throat. Grian dropped his sword when Doc wrapped his metal arm around Grian's neck, watching as the builder struggled, trying to escape the German cyborg's grip on him.

"Where is Mumbo?! I know he's hiding Bdubs and Scar!"  
"Stay away from him, you're only going to hurt him!"

Doc just growled, throwing Grian as hard as he could across the room, Grian slamming into the wall and collapsing onto the floor. Doc walked right past him, ignoring the small hermit's pleas. Grian tried to stand, but he was met with a sword to his neck, Iskall blankly staring down at the hermit, his head ever-so-slightly tilted.

"Iskall-"  
"Sorry Grian, this is for your own good. We need to get Mumbo before he causes any more trouble."

Doc growled as he spotted Mumbo, the mustached hermit fiddling with the dagger, barely looking up at Doc. The creeper growled, holding up the sword to Mumbo's neck, no response coming from the Redstoner. 

"Where is Bdubs and Scar?!? Ren and Iskall told me you had them!"  
"Doc, please, just.....just leave..."  
"Not until you tell us where they are!"  
"D-doc please..."  
"WHERE. ARE. THEY?!?"

Mumbo shoved his dagger straight through Doc's chest, the creeper dropping his diamond sword in shock. Mumbo punched Doc in his good eye, causing the creeper to stumble back while cussing. Doc fell to the ground, holding the gash on his stomach, blood flowing out of it. Mumbo picked up Doc's sword, smiling as he poked his finger on the tip of the weapon a few times. Mumbo looked down at Doc, holding his sword to the creepers neck with a slight grin on his face.

"Y-you psycho.."

"Me? 

ME?!? 

YOU ACCUSED ME FOR SOMETHING I DIDN'T FUCKING DO! YOU HAVE NO FUCKING CLUE WHAT IS GOING ON! YOU DESERVE TO FUCKING DIE!"

Mumbo stabbed his sword right through Doc's chest, watching as blood splattered all over the redstoner's face. Doc stared in horror as he took his final breaths, the creeper closing his eyes and laying still as blood drained from his body.

>Docm77 was slain by MumboJumbo

Mumbo watched as Doc's body faded away, meaning that the creeper respawned. His heart was in his throat, the Redstoner unable to think. Mumbo's anger only fueled the fire that was burning on the inside. He couldn't put the fire out, he only silently watched as the flames grew, consuming his mind with anger and rage. Mumbo gasped for breath, finally realizing what he had done, the mustached hermit staring down at his bloody hands.

"Wh-what....?"

"Mumbo...." Grian said, both him and Iskall dumbfounded at what they had just witnessed. Mumbo looked up from his bloody hands, his eyes bloodshot and wide. But that wasn't the worst part.

His normally chocolate brown eyes were now dark red, his pupils small and shaking with paranoia.

Mumbo was going insane.

~~~~~~~~

>Docm77 was slain by MumboJumbo

Ex and Hels smiled at the message, causing the admin imposter to open the laptop, beginning to type away at the keyboard.

"What are you doing?!" Bdubs yelled, still upset about his imprisonment. The two didn't answer, they simply continued to finish a string of code, before Ex hit enter, the world seeming to turn cold and dark within an instant. Bdubs could feel the stress in the air, his head now pounding with thoughts of what the two could have done.

"This was too much fun. Iskall, Ren, and False were so easy to trick, and Doc was easily going to go after Mumbo."

"What the hell are you talking about?!?"

Ex and Hels looked at one another, both breaking down laughing, Ex taking a knee to become eye level with the trapped builder.

"Mumbo is broken. He's not sane anymore. And now that permideath is on, Mumbo will destroy the server from the inside out."


	16. Death by fire

"M-Mumbo...?"  
"I..."

Grian shoved Iskall off of him, the small hermit quickly getting to his feet and running over to Mumbo, who was frozen in shock. Grian grabbed Mumbo's bloody hands, trying to calm the Redstoner. Mumbo was gasping for breath, his small pupils shaking from fear.

"G-Grian...I-I..."  
"It's alright Mumbo.."

"no....NO! IT ISN'T ALRIGHT. I HELPED EX AND HELS!"  
"W-what....?"

"I CAPTURED SCAR AND BDUBS!"

Mumbo pulled away from Grian, running towards his sword that he left by Doc's body. Pointing the bloody weapon at Grian. His eyes were scared, he clearly didn't know what to do. Grian took in a small breath, speaking soft words, attempting to calm the mustached Redstoner.

"M-Mumbo, let's calm down.."  
"I-I...I can't Grian...I-I don't know what's going on..."

"It's alright...just put down the sword, I'm sure we can help you.."

The mustached hermit glanced between Grian and Iskall, his now dark red eyes swarming with fear. Mumbo pulled at his hair, tears pricking at his eyes. The Redstoner stabbed his bloody sword into the ground, running towards the bubblevator. Before Grian could call out to try and to stop him, Mumbo was already gone, the mustached hermit shooting out of the water and opening his elytra, using rockets to boost himself through the air. Grian was about to go after him, but a low moan came from Iskall, the Swede now in pain. Iskall sat upright, running their hand through the mess that was their hair. Iskall glanced to Grian, the Swede's eyes changing from a swampy green back to their original shade of brown. Iskall shook their head managing to choke out a couple words.

"Grian? What are you doing here? Why are we at Mumbo's base?"  
"Iskall, What are you on about? You and Doc just came in trying to capture Mumbo!"

"What? I was just at my industrial district with Xisuma." Iskall said in a hushed whisper, rubbing their head. Grian offered his hand, helping the Swede stand up. Grian pointed at the small puddle of blood, and the sword that was stuck in the ground, all color from Iskall's face draining away.

"What happened...?"  
"Mumbo killed Doc. He respawned, but Mumbo...he said that he was working for Ex and Hels...I think something big is going on, we need to help Mumbo.."

Iskall nodded, pulling out a netherite sword, his expression slightly hurt, but serious. Grian pulled out his elytra, stapling the grey bug wings onto his back and dashing to the elevator. Iskall was close behind, and the two shot into the air, both heading to the shopping district. If they were going to rescue Mumbo, they needed help.

~~~~~~~

"Stop resisting. It only makes things harder, Bdubs."  
"You're a fucking traitor!" Bdubs screamed, Mumbo barely caring for the builder. The Redstoner dragged Bdubs out of his cell, throwing him against the wall, Scar and Xisuma next to him, tied up in chains as well. Mumbo bent down, his red eyes filled with burning hatred as Mumbo began breaking the chains. Bdubs and Scar looked at one another in confusion, but they didn't question Mumbo, watching in silence as the ripped the iron chains with his netherite pickaxe.

"Mumbo! What the hell are you doing?!" Ex yelled, storming into the room, Hels close behind. Mumbo stood up, lazily studying the two psychopaths. 

"Mumbo, put them back into their Cells! Now!"  
"Now why do I need to listen to you? I can easily beat you two."  
"Big talk for a little fucker like yourself."  
"You don't control me anymore. I have nothing left to lose. Prepare for your demise."

Mumbo threw his netherite pickaxe, Ex narrowly dodging, the pickaxe scraping through his armor and barely cutting his skin. Ex looked to Hels, slightly nodding, the two pulling out weapons, Hels having a bow, and Ex having a netherite sword. Mumbo didn't seem phased by this, he simply pulled out his own sword, along with a shield. Ex charged at the Redstoner, jumping into the air and raising his sword to strike. Mumbo raised his shield, Ex landing onto the wooden and iron buckler. The psychopath's sword was stuck in Mumbo's shield, which gave the mustached Redstoner the advantage. Mumbo threw his shield across the room, Ex getting thrown along with it. He slammed against the wall, Ex groaning in pain.

Before Hels could comprehend what was happening, Mumbo slammed him against the ground, one foot pressing down on the knight's chest, while a sword was pointing at his neck, Mumbo slowly pushing the tip of the blade into Hels's neck, watching as blood began to seep out.

"Beg for your life."  
"I'd rather die..."  
"So be it."

Mumbo put his blade away, kicking Hels's body over to Ex, who was struggling to move. Mumbo slowly walked over fiddling with his diamond blade. He stopped, only a couple of inches away from Ex. Mumbo Shoved the blade directly through his chest, watching as blood exploded onto the Redstoner. Mumbo pulled out a flint and steel, scraping together the two objects and throwing them onto the ground, watching as a small fire began to grow into large flames. Mumbo yanked Ex's netherite sword from out of his shield, barley flinching at the screams behind him, as the two psychopaths burned to death.

Evil Xisuma burned to death [PERMAKILL]  
Helsknight burned to death [PERMAKILL]

"M-Mumbo...you just killed them..."  
"So? I saved you, didn't I?" Mumbo said, laughing with a mocking tone. The three looked at each other, then back at Mumbo's insane eyes, watching as he pointed his sword at the three.

"M-Mumbo? What are you doing?"  
"I may have saved you from Ex and Hels, but you aren't safe from me." The mustached hermit said, a grin spreading across his face.

"Now move. I'm sure the hermits would do quite a lot to try and save you three. Let's make this fun."


	17. Trapped

"What's going on?" Keralis asked, the last of the hermits joining the large gathering. Everyone was in the shopping district, the only hermits missing were Mumbo, Xisuma, Scar, and Bdubs. Grian and Iskall stood in front of the group, the two nervously glancing between the hermits, making sure everyone was together, before Grian let out a heavy sigh, clearing his throat to gather everyone's attention.

"Mumbo has...h-he..he kidnapped Bdubs and Scar-..." Grian paused, letting his heavy words sink in, watching as a few hermits broke the silence, mumbling to the other hermits surrounding them. Grian cleared his throat once more, resuming where he had left off.

"Hels and Ex pushed him to do it. Mumbo then killed Doc and ran off, and I'm more than sure that he's plotting something big."

Grian watched as the hermits began to descend into chaos, most freaking out about Mumbo and the disappearance of their friends. Wels looked guilty, probably because his evil counterpart was behind Mumbo's insanity. He didn't say anything though, he simply stood, dumbfounded as the hermits around him panicked, most getting into groups with weapons and plans to get back their friends. Grian looked to Iskall for help, the Swede nodding before pulling out their sword and a block of cobblestone from his inventory. Iskall banged the two objects into one another, watching as all of the hermits jumped, turning their attention back towards Grian.

"We can't run after them without a plan, and we can't split up! We have to stay together and try to fix this!"

"We need to go after Hels and Ex! They did this to Mumbo!"

Before anyone could respond, the hermits communicator's buzzed, alerting the server.

>Evil Xisuma burned to death [PERMAKILL]  
>Helsknight burned to death [PERMAKILL]

"I guess we won't have to worry about them..." Grian mumbled, shoving his communicator back into his pocket. The small hermit let out a light sigh, taking a step forward and drawing his sword.

"We need to band together and find Mumbo. Now that Ex and Hels are....g-gone....he's not under their control...he may need our help!"

A few hermits nodded, drawing their weapons. Their plan was simple. Try and get into contact with Mumbo, anyway possible. They would split into groups, Grian with Iskall, Doc, and Keralis. The four set off into the nether, wandering around and calling for Mumbo.

They just hoped he was safe.

~~~~~~~~~

Bdubs woke up to the sound of screams, but he didn't remember falling asleep. Bdubs was in a cramped cell, but it wasn't the one in Hels and Ex's prison. The walls were made out of white concrete, the floor made from smooth stone. The cell was freezing, end rods lighting the four by four prison. One of the walls was made out of ice, which was probably why it was so cold. Bdubs tried to stand, but his arms and legs were stuck in iron blocks, and he couldn't move from his slumped position. He was against the wall, staring out of the ice, trying to make out the figure that was coming closer.

A pickaxe broke through the ice, breaking the cold barrier, and in came Mumbo, covered in blood, an evil grin strung across his face.

"Do you like it?" Mumbo asked, gesturing to the little prison.   
"Cramped, I know. There's limited space here, so I had to work with what I got."

"Mumbo, what the hell is going on?! Why am I stuck in these iron blocks?!"

"Oh! So you noticed my restrains I made you! They aren't iron blocks, just image them as iron gloves and iron shoes...! That prevent you from ever leaving......" Mumbo said, his voice slightly shaking at the last part. Mumbo's eyes were red and puffy, as if he was crying. But he didn't say anything, simply taking a knee to become eye level with Bdubs.

"What do you want with me?" Bdubs hissed, struggling in his restraints.

"Oh nothing!" Mumbo said gleefully, laughing a bit.  
"You're going to wait here! You, X, and Scar are going to be perfect bait!"

"B-bait...?"

"Yep! Once the hermits find the little gift I left them, they'll know exactly where we are, and who's trapped in this little prison! They'll run to try and save you, and boom! The hermits fall right into my redstone mess!" Mumbo said, standing up and spinning around while letting out a crazed laugh.

"Mumbo, what the hell is wrong with you?!" Bdubs asked, thrashing even more in his cuffs.

"So many things! I don't even know anymore! Oh but I feel splendid! I've never felt better! And soon, the hermits will experience EVERYTHING that I made for them! They'll love my little games I planned for them!"

"G-games?"

"Oh yes Bdubs! And you're one of them! The hermits will really hurry to try and stop me once they see a fellow hermit in danger....." Mumbo said, turning to leave. He looked back at Bdubs, his smile genuine and insane, as his red eyes flashed, showing Mumbo's insane side.

"Let's hope they can rescue you from drowning."


	18. Trapped Tapes

“We've been searching for hours, Grian....it's clear Mumbo isn't anywhere..." Iskall said, the Swede exhausted, just wanting to go home. Grian hadn't lost hope yet, the small hermit still determined. No one had said that they had found anything, which honestly scared the hermits. No trace of any of their friends? Right after two had permadied? Most were horrified.

"Fine..we'll take a break. Let's go back to my hobbit hole." Grian said, swiftly moving through the jungle that they had been searching through. Doc, Keralis, and Iskall let out a sigh of relief, before the group began to head back. Grian was nervously checking his phone, hoping for someone to say that they've found something, but there were no messages, the group walking into Grian's hobbit hole.

"What the...?" Grian said, staring at what seemed to be a camera, tied to a rope and hanging from the ceiling. The small hermit pulled the camera down, the string tugging open a trapdoor, unleashing a charged creeper from the ceiling. Doc quickly reacted, throwing his trident and impaling the creeper before it could kill Grian.

"Thanks Doc...you really saved me there.."  
"No problem. But what's with that camera?" The goatfather said, pointing at the small recording device in Grian's hands. The small hermit stood up, walking over to his group and scrolling through the videos that were saved on the camera. 

"It's...Xisuma..?"  
"Look! Scar and Bdubs too!"  
"Why are they tied up? What's going on?!"

The group scrolled to the final video, clicking on the small screen, and watching as the video pulled up, Mumbo appearing in the screen.

"Mumbo...?" Grian asked, distraught at the fact that the redstoner was covered in blood, his smile insane.

"Hello hermits! If you haven't already seen, Scar, Bdubs, and Xisuma are with me! Don't worry, they're safe!

.....that is, if you can save them....

You see, I'm SICK of this. I can't think straight! I don't know who I am anymore! I-I Don't know what's wrong with me, please! Hel-help me-!"

The video cut to static, before cutting back to Mumbo, who cleared his throat, his red eyes filled with burning hatred.

"Now then, where were we?

Oh yeah!

You know that stupid bunker you all made? Well, I made some...modifications to it....I have the three trapped here, all three of them at the risk of dying, permanently.... it's kinda like a game! You see.." 

The camera cut to Bdubs, a cloth wrapped around his mouth, iron restraints on his limbs.

"Bdubs here is trapped in a little tank. Once you enter the room, the tank will slowly fill up with water. Try and break him out, and the entire room with explode, killing you all. There's a red key pad next to Bdubs's little tank, and there's a code somewhere hidden in the maze of traps and little games I set up. Get the code, and the door will open, freeing Bdubs. But if you don't find the code in time...." 

Mumbo just laughed, and the camera cut to Scar, who was hanging upside down, weak ropes wrapped around his ankles, he was being held over a pit of lava, and the ropes looked like they couldn't hold him for much longer.

"Scar's little test is simple! Get him down, without the use of an elytra, potions, or a water bucket. I'm watching you on the security cameras, so if you break any rules, this whole place will be blown to bits!" 

The camera went to static once more, before cutting in again, looking at Xisuma, the admin's helmet off, as he looked defeated, his shameful expression hidden away as his eyes were glued to the ground. He was wrapped in chains, sitting in a dirt pit.

"Now, if you don't listen carefully to my demand, Xisuma will be killed by cave spiders, which I have hidden behind the wall of dirt. If you try to go into the pit to save him, I'll activate the pistons and I'll let the spiders free. Now, to rescue the beloved admin of ours, I just need two simple things." 

The camera cut, Now on Mumbo, who was sitting in a dark room, surrounded by a control panel and all sorts of screens watching his captives.

"Grian and Iskall. You two have a special mission. You two will come to my little office and have a chat. No weapons. No more than you two. If you don't, well you know the drill. The whole place goes down. Now, you come tomorrow, noon.

If you come early....

Expect your friends to be dead."


	19. Looking forward

Grian> guys  
Grian> you might wanna see this  
Cleo> vid of Mumbo?  
Tango> these cameras are all over the place, along with traps attached to them.  
Zedaph> why is he doing this?  
Cub> I'm really worried. He seems serious.  
Stress> what do we do?  
Cleo> Everyone to the shopping district. We're not letting Mumbo get away with this.

~~~~~~~~~

The hermits gathered around the Diamond throne, Cleo standing atop it with her netherite sword in her hands, the Zombie's eyes burning with intense determination. She jumped down from the throne, landing in front of the large group of hermits.

"Now is the time for action people! We either do nothing and let Mumbo win, or we go and save our friends! I'm not letting him get away with this! First he kills Hels and Ex, then he kidnaps X, Bdubs and Scar, and now he threatens to kill them?!? 

We have to do something! Who's with me!"

A few hermits cheered, raising their weapons. Grian looked to Iskall, the Swede worried, yet they had a confident smile planted on their face. Iskall pulled out their bow, walking to Cleo's side.

"I'm in!" Iskall said with a smile. The Swede looked to Grian, the small hermit instantly filled with confidence the second he saw Iskall's happy grin. Grian drew his sword, joining the two.

"I'm in too! Let's save Mumbo!"

Cheers echoed through the shopping district, hermits raising their weapons with a smile, all confident about the future. Hermits joined Cleo's side, discussion of saving the others quickly took place. Most were crowded around the diamond throne, and although the time was grim, the hermits stayed positive, all working together to come up with a plan.

All but one.

Doc leaned on the wall, watching as the hermit's excitement brought a cheery feel to the shopping district. But Doc wasn't having it. He could see it in their eyes, their concern, their fear.

They weren't happy.  
They were all terrified.

Doc just scoffed, looking out on the shopping district. To him, it felt like a battle that can't be won. Were the hermits just going to run in blind? Trying to save the others? It's a suicide mission. Doc just walked down the sandstone steps, looking up at the sky as the cyborg shoved his hands into his tattered lab coat, growling a bit at footsteps behind him.

"Doc? Are you okay?" Stress asked, the sweet Brit adjusting the flower crown on her head. Doc rolled his eyes, turning away with a small huff. 

"No, I'm not okay. One of my friends has gone insane and kidnapped my other friends. How the hell can I be okay? How can you all be okay?!?"

Stress just let out a small breath, looking down at the ground, worried and concerned.

"I understand that you're worried Doc, but we have to be positive. We need to work together! If we don't, we'll never save the others. We have each other Doc, we're going to win." Stress said, smiling up at the 6 foot tall creeper. Doc let out a small sigh, shaking his head.

"We're going to die..." he said, looking down at Stress.

"But let's try and save Mumbo."

~~~~~~~~~

Mumbo entered Bdubs's line of sight, causing the trapped hermit to let out an annoyed sigh, watching as the psycho broke the ice that kept Bdubs trapped, revealing himself. Mumbo definitely wasn't himself, he wasn't wearing his suit anymore, blood, redstone, and gunpowder covering his normally white shirt, the color lost to the mix of materials. Mumbo took a knee, a calm, yet smug grin across his face.

"What the hell do you want..?"

"Nothing, I was just checking up on you. The hermits will be here soon, and they're going to try and break you out..don't forget to remind them, that if they try to break any blocks, this place will blow..." Mumbo said, glancing away with a frown on his face. He had a few tears in his eyes, but Bdubs didn't sympathize for him, the builder was furious at Mumbo.

"You're a fucking Bitch..why are you doing this?!?"

"I'm sick of this! All of this! I just want it all to end, I want all of you to end!"  
"Mumbo, we're your friends! What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"I don't know anymore! So many things, so many horrible, horrible things! I don't know who I am anymore!" Mumbo said, his tears streaming down his face. He was smiling though, a horrible, insane smile. It was clear that Mumbo was simply a slave to his emotions, unable to control the storm that was inside.

"Mumbo.." Bdubs said, a bit hesitant.  
"QUIET!" The Redstoner screamed, shaking his head and standing up, holding his ears. The mustached hermit slammed his fist against the wall, growling as he repeatedly beat his fist into the concrete, barely caring as blood began to stain the white walls.

"Mumbo! Calm down!" Bdubs screamed, thrashing in his iron restraints.

"Calm down......? 

CALM DOWN?!?!

I'm going crazy Bdubs! How the fuck am I supposed to calm down?!?!" Mumbo said with an insane laugh, running his bloody hands through his hair, the Redstoner's expression insane, yet sorrowful as tears ran down his pale cheeks.

"Mumbo, it's clear you can't control yourself! Just let me go, and I can help you!" Bdubs said, slightly growling at the Redstoner under his breath. Mumbo just turned away, exiting Bdubs's prison without another word, sealing up the entrance with ice.

"No one can help me........

Not anymore."


	20. Dying hope

Scar woke up, chains around his waist and neck. The mayor was sweating, heat causing his head to go fuzzy, it felt like he was stuck in a desert. Scar glanced around the room made out of blackstone, quickly realizing that there was a large pool of lava, inches away from his feet. Scar quickly scuttled as far away from the lava as he could, his chains preventing the mayor from moving too far. Laughter filled Scar’s ears, the mayor watching as Mumbo emerged from the shadows, his insane red eyes glowing.

“Mumbo..?”  
“Why hello mayor.” Mumbo said, being incredibly sarcastic and rude as the Redstoner circled around Scar, who was shaking on the ground, Mumbo’s glare scaring the mayor.

“You’ve been out for quite some time, but I’m guessing that it’s the heat.” Mumbo said, wiping his brow with a handkerchief that was sitting in one of Mumbo’s pockets. “But I’m glad you’re awake. It’s going to be easier to move you.” Mumbo said, a half grin on his face.

“M-move me..?” Scar asked, looking up at Mumbo, watching as the insane hermit grabbed Scar by the collar of his shirt, forcing him to stand. Mumbo pulled out a little key, unlocking Scar’s chains and pulling the mayor along, Scar too weak to fight against Mumbo.

“The hermits will be here very, very soon.” Mumbo said, scoffing a bit.

“I made you a little home until then.” Mumbo said, pointing to an iron cage that sat on the edge of the lava, chains attached to a pulley system that would hold the cage over lava. Before Scar could react, Mumbo shoved the mayor into the cramped cage, locking the door and hitting a button.

Redstone and pistons began to work, and soon enough the cage was high above the lava, swinging back and forth, the rusty chains creaking as it swung.

“Don’t worry Scar! They’re going to be here soon!” Mumbo said, rather happily. “But I’ll let you warn them.... this place is rigged with traps. I can barley imagine the hermits making it out of my little maze in time to save you. But, If they do, it’s going to be too late...” Mumbo said, slightly smirking.

“M-Mumbo..? What are you talking about...?”

“Oh Scar. You absolute idiot.”

Before Scar could say anything to retaliate against Mumbo’s words, the Redstoner slammed his fist into a different button, watching as the pulleys creaked, beginning to slowly, but surely, lower Scar’s cage.

“Nice knowing you Scar!”

“Who am I kidding.”

“It really wasn’t!” Mumbo spat, letting out an insane laugh, and turning his back, leaving Scar as the cage slowly began to grow closer to the lava.

Scar could only watch, waiting as the hermits tried to rescue him.

He could only hope that someone will find him.

~~~~~~~

The bunker. The place where it all seemed to have started. And now it was going to end.

The hermits stood, weapons gripped in the palm of their hands, as they all looked down at the empty, dark prison. It wasn't the way they originally left it, no more low ceiling and dirt walls, no. The walls were made out of quartz bricks, the floor polished black stone, stairs leading deep into the dungeon. The walls were lit with redstone torches, creating an eerie red glow coming from deeper in the bunker.

"This is the place...right..?" Tango asked, rather skeptical as he stared deep into the eerie red light. Grian shakily nodded, no ones eyes leaving the glowing red. Cleo gripped her sword, slightly growling as she charged into the red glow.

"Cleo Wait! It could be a trap! Get back here!" Joe yelled, charging in after her. The two seemed to fade away in the red glow, disappearing without another word. No response came as the hermits called down, not a sound in the bunker.

"Guys, we need to go in after them..." Cub said, pulling out a lantern and taking a step in front of the hermits, taking a few steps on the black stone stairs, before they seemed to fail, the stairs caving in. Cub dropped his lantern, which shattered, darkness consuming Cub as he screamed, falling down the dark pit.

"Everyone! Grab your elytras! Hurry, we need to go down after him! Now!" False screamed, her elytra already on, the Brit diving down the hole, falling faster and faster after Cub. Hermits rushed to put on their elytras, diving after her. There were only four hermits left when laughing came from the jungle, Tango, Grian, Iskall and Doc. Maniacal laughter seemed to surround the three, causing the remaining hermits to scan the dark jungle, watching as Mumbo emerged from the shadows.

He looked much better compared to how he looked in the the video, his suit was nicer clean, and the blood had been washed out of his hair, his mustache need and trimmed. Doc instantly went red with rage on sight of Mumbo, the creeper charging at Mumbo with a diamond sword. Doc raised his sword about to strike the Redstoner, but Mumbo wasn't amused, quickly pulling out his own weapon and shoving it through Doc's chest, barely flinching as Doc's blood spilled all over his nice suit.

"Well, that wasn't smart, now was it?" Mumbo said with a hint of sarcasm, a smirk on his face as Doc dropped to the ground. Mumbo glanced to Iskall and Grian, narrowing his eyes at the two's horrified expression.

"Tango. If you know what's good for you, join the others, and drag Doc along with you. I need to have a private conversation with Iskall and Grian.." Mumbo said, Tango slightly growling as he struggled to pick up Doc.

"Where are they...?" Tango asked, pulling Doc quickly away from Mumbo, the bloody hermit simply rolling his eyes at Tango.

"They're in a redstone maze. If they make it out, they'll find the others. And if they don't, well, let's hope their deaths are slow and painful..."

"You're crazy.." Tango said, growling at Mumbo.

"I'm fully aware, Tango. But you might want to hurry. The others aren't aware of the fun little games I planned for them..." Mumbo said sinisterly, pressing his finger against the top of his sword, fiddling with his weapon. Tango shot Grian a worried glance, but the small hermit nodded, assuring the two would be okay. Tango simply frowned, but he didn't say anything, holding Doc as he glided down the hole, leaving Iskall, Mumbo and Grian all alone on the surface.

"Now..." Mumbo started, pulling out a small remote with a large flashing Button. Mumbo smiled at Grian and Iskall's confused stares, the Redstoner hovering his finger over the button with a smug smile planted across his face. 

"Take a seat.

Let's talk."


	21. Chapter 21~ Near Death Experiences

False caught Cub right before he slammed into the ground, using her elytra and pulling up last second, managing to land while holding Cub, neither of the two hermits hurt. The other hermits dove down into the room, all gliding down using their elytras. The room was dark, barely any light to help aid the hermits, most stumbling through the dark room.

Cub re-lit the lantern, holding the source of light above his head, the pharaoh squinting as he glanced around the room, noticing the absence of six hermits, Iskall, Grian, Tango, Doc, Cleo, and Joe.

"Hey guys?" Cub asked, his voice rather quiet as the pharaoh glanced around at the hermits, all seeming to notice the smaller group numbers. "Where's-"

"LOOK OUT!" Tango called, barely able to fly as he held a tall, German creeper in his arms. Tango ungracefully slammed into Keralis, TFC and Zedaph, the group all collapsing into a pile. "Are you guys okay?" Stress asked, helping Tango out of the pile of hermits, Tango gasping for breath as he set Doc down, the creeper wincing in pain.

"What happened to him..?" Ren asked, studying Doc's pale expression, the German holding his bloody chest in pain. Stress quickly began examining the wound, the diamond sword had gone through his stomach, a gory sight indeed.

"He tried to attack Mumbo, but he ended up getting stabbed in the chest.." Tango quickly explained, glancing around at the hermits and the dark room which they were seemingly trapped in. 

"Where are we..?" Impulse asked, taking a few steps forward, Before TFC grabbed the redstoner by the collar of his shirt, yanking him backwards before he could activate a pressure plate. Tin let out a relived sigh, relaxing his shoulders a bit. Tango meticulously moved through the room, careful not to activate any more hidden plates that peppered the floors.

"Mumbo said something about this being a redstone maze..If we can get through, we'll find everyone..and if not-" Tango was interrupted by the sound of a pressure plate clicking underneath his foot, the block he was standing on suddenly retracting and attempting to drop Tango in a pit of spikes.

Jevin had watched this happen, quickly reacting and grabbing Tango's hand before he fell, Tango now hanging in a one-block hole, above a pit of rusty spikes, Jevin struggling to hold on. "A little help?!" The blue slime asked, Wels running over and grabbing Tango's other hand, the two pulling him out of the hole before he could fall to his death.

"That was too close...we need to be more careful." Keralis said, looking around the dark room, most hermits having fearful expressions stuck on their face, it was almost impossible not to be afraid, their friend had mentally snapped.

"There's a note here.." False noticed, picking up a crumpled piece of paper off the ground, straightening out the wrinkled paper ball and studying the ink-smudges and sloppy handwriting, Mumbo barely caring for neatness anymore. False began to read the note in her head, Zedaph, Ren, and Stress all looking over her shoulder and attempting to read along.

"The note says that one of these pressure plates will open the door and let us out.." False spoke quietly, the other hermits looking to one another, then at the countless plates on the ground, practically landmines at this point. "But one of the pressure plates will activate TNT that will blow this room to bits.."

"And the others?" TFC asked, glancing at the pit of bloody spikes, the spot where Tango was almost killed. False gripped the paper in her gloved hands, clearly upset as she continued to read the crumpled paper, trying to make out the writing that was covered in ink and blood.

"They'll set off smaller traps, but they'll still kill us.." False said grimly, the hermits all going quiet as the room was filled with sorrow and dread. If they failed, then everyone would most likely die, the hermits stuck in a inescapable demise of this goes wrong. Yet if they succeed, what will happen? They'll have to risk their lives yet again? They'll be forced to try and rescue the others, before getting killed, or watching their friends get killed?

One thing was for certain.

Someone was going to die.

~~~~~

“What do you want with us Mumbo..?” Iskall asked quietly, holding their knees to their chest, as Mumbo circled around the two hermits, his eyes glowing with hatred, yet his smile was sinister and devilish. Mumbo simply laughed, coming from behind Grian and Iskall, wrapping his arms around the two hermit’s neck and slightly choking them, as Mumbo continued to laugh. He tugged the two hermits close, in a way hugging them, yet both Grian and Iskall were incredibly afraid as Mumbo let go, holding his hands behind his back, glaring at the two.

“Well I wouldn’t want my two best friends to get hurt, now would I?” Mumbo said, smiling at the uncomfortable hermits, Grian nervously shifting in his seat as Mumbo continued to pace in circles around the two.

“What are you doing to them down there..?” Iskall asked in a low voice, Mumbo chuckling once more as he adjusted his tie, completely ignoring Doc’s blood that stained his hands, suit, and face.

“Oh nothing. Just a couple traps, I could have done much worse. It’s just useless, none of them will make it out alive.” He said, the crazed Redstoner pulling out the remote once more, his thumb hovering above a large red button, Mumbo’s insane grin spreading to the ends of his face.

“I want them to at least try to get the others out of their little prison.” Mumbo explained, suddenly shoving the remote back in his pocket and continuing to pace around Iskall and Grian, his hands in his pockets. “It’ll be more fun that way, I might as well make the most of the other hermits before they die..”

“They’ll make it out! They’ll get out and stop you Mumbo!” Grian said, quickly standing up and stomping his foot in anger. Mumbo pulled out his sword, narrowing his eyes at Grian as he pressed the tip of his weapon against the builder’s neck, a bit of blood trickling down the sword.

“Sit back down.” Mumbo spat, a happy smile forming on the ends of his face as Grian obeyed, sitting back down on the grass below him. Mumbo stabbed his weapon into the ground, leaning on the sword as he let out a happy chuckle.

“I’m glad you listened Grian. I would hate to have eliminated you, like I’ll eliminate the others.” Mumbo said with a laugh, his voice much calmer then before.

“Eliminate...?” Iskall questioned, Mumbo smiling as he grabbed the two once more, hugging them yet again.

“Oh yes! They all BROKE ME! They made me feel like utter rubbish. So why should I care about them?” Mumbo snapped, letting out yet another round of insane laughter, the crazy hermit smiling at both Iskall and Grian, as Mumbo pulled out the small remote yet again, hitting the bright red button before throwing the remote onto the ground, destroying it under his foot, to prevent anyone from stopping what he had created.

“I’ll be giving the two of you a front row seat. 

Now let’s sit back, and enjoy the demise of the hermits.”


	22. Losing friends

"Cleo! Get back here!" Joe called, running after the undead, the torch in her hand illuminating the path ahead. The two had ran down the stairwell, neither waiting for the other hermits. Joe struggled to catch up with the zombie, his friend moving with great speed. The echoing sound of screaming shook the cavern, Cleo stopping, dead in her tracks. She looked back at Joe, who was just as pale as the zombie was. Those screams were coming from the hermits. The hermits who they left behind.

"Come on Joe!" Cleo said, grabbing the poet's wrist and rushing back up the stairs, in hopes that they weren't too late. The two ran with great speed, climbing the stairs as fast as they could, until they finally made it to the surface, a large hole in the ground before them, the one which the hermits must have fallen through before they entered the bunker.

"Get down!" Cleo said in a whisper, Joe quickly following her lead and getting low to the ground, the poet quickly spotting Mumbo, Grian, and Iskall. The insane hermit had tied his friends up, the two struggling in their bind. The Redstoner smile seemed so innocent and pure, like he really was happy that the two were safe, although he had lost the benefit of the doubt.

"Don't worry. You'll be safe here." Mumbo cooed in a comforting voice, the Redstoner grabbing a bit more rope, clearly not wanting the two hermits to get away. He bound their ankles and wrists, and when the Redstoner was finished, he smiled with pride at his work.

"I just don't want you two getting hurt. You're my family." Mumbo said with a tired grin, wrapping his bloody arms around the two, slightly squeezing Iskall and Grian. Small sobs left Mumbo's lips, as he pulled the two a bit closer, holding them tight with no intent of letting go.

"I-I don't want this...." he mumbled, the mustached man's pleads and sobs causing the two bound hermits to look at each other with concern on their faces. Mumbo shook his head, pulling away from the two and standing up. The mustached man cleared his throat, pulling out a handkerchief and wiping the tears from his eyes, although he didn't seem to care for Doc's blood, which continued to linger on his suit and skin.

"I just want them to suffer.." Mumbo said, clenching his fists and shaking his head. The Redstoner turned towards the jungle, shoving his bloody and blistered hands into his pockets, the insane hermit slightly looking back at the two, his crimson eyes swarming with hatred.

"I'll be back. If you try and escape, I'll kill you both." The crazed man explained, before stepping into the shadows, which enveloped him, the Redstoner fading away in the shadows of the jungle. Cleo and Joe waited a couple more minutes before coming out of hiding, the two hopping over the large hole and running over to their friends.

"Cleo? Joe? H-how did you-"

"No time to explain. Just stay still." The zombie instructed, pulling out a diamond sword and using the blade to cut the ropes with ease. Iskall and Grian were covered in blood, and it was hard to tell if it was their own, or if it was somebody else's. Joe didn't want to think about it for too long..

"You guys need to go after the others." Iskall said, the Swede running their hand through their bloodstained hair. Grian nodded in agreement, looking into the Jungle, where Mumbo had disappeared into the shadows.

"But what about you two?" Joe asked, Iskall and Grian making eye contact, both understanding what they needed to do.

"We're going after Mumbo. Maybe we can help him.." Grian said, Iskall nodding in agreement. Cleo frowned, but she didn't say anything, pulling out a small iron dagger and handing it to Grian.

"Be safe."

"Thanks Cleo." Grian said, he and Iskall turning to the jungle, nodding to one another as they entered the dark jungle, running after Mumbo.

"Do you think they can save Mumbo?" Joe asked, looking to his Zombie friend, Cleo shaking her head and turning to the bunker.

"We can only hope."

~~~~~~

“G-guys..?” Stress asked the other hermits, watching as the room began to shake, the tiles and pressure plates that littered the ground began to tremble as well. It felt like an earthquake, but Tango could hear piston coming from the walls, clearly Mumbo had planned this. 

Keralis, False, and TFC all stumbled as the room continued to shake, all three setting off a couple pressure plates. Arrow holes opened out of the walls, poison-tipped arrows beginning to shoot at the hermits. Not to mention the creepers who began to fall from the ceiling, and the ground that started to cave in, a pit of spikes lying underneath the hermits.

“This is getting crazy!” Beef shouted, as he shoved his axe through a creeper’s head, the explosive mob disappearing in a cloud of dust. Jevin tackled Ren to the ground, saving the dog hybrid from getting hit with a poisonous arrow, but setting off another pressure plate in the process. Pistons activated once more, the walls slowly closing in on the hermits.

“Okay, we need to get out of here, now!” False screamed over the dying mobs and cries of terror, the PvPer glancing around the room, pulling out a now and arrow. The blonde-haired Brit noticed a pressure plate that seemed smaller than the others, False holding her breath as she loaded an arrow, shooting the plate with her eyes shut tight.

A satisfying note block went off, more pistons activating, and suddenly three exits opened, all leading to a different trapped hermit. The trapped room didn’t stop attacking, arrows and creepers continuing to attack. 

“Get to the nearest exit, we’ll meet up once we rescued the others!” False called, making a dash to the exit, running over the pressure plates with no regards to the traps. Other hermits followed her lead, bolting out of the room as fast as they could. 

Jevin was the last in the room, the slime stuck fighting an army of creepers. He was backed into a corner, the wall pushing him towards the explosive mobs. Jevin was trapped in the far corner, he couldn’t run to the exits without getting blown up by a creeper.

The slime watched with dread filling his stomach, the creepers approaching, barely caring as they stepped over the pressure plates. One of the plates caused a small hiss from underneath the ground, Jevin looking up helplessly, locking eyes with False, before the exit doors closed, the sound of TNT going off.

>iJevin blew up


	23. Restoring Insanity

Grian and Iskall crept through the forest, listening closely to the footsteps pacing back and forth, the two silently approaching the insane hermit. They hid behind a large jungle tree, the two watching as Mumbo seemed to argue with himself, unable to think straight.

"Why, why, why do I want to hurt them?!" He thought out loud, the confused man pulling on his hair while struggling to comprehend how he was feeling. He was breaking down into tears, the Redstoner gasping for breath as he leaned against a jungle tree, the moonlight flowing through the leaves and shining onto Mumbo's broken eyes.

"Do I want this..?" He questioned himself sadly, as tears rolled down the side of his face. Grian looked to Iskall with sympathy, the Swede biting their lip as they continued to watch as Mumbo fought with himself.

"Yes. Yes I do." He mumbled underneath his breath, the Redstoner clenching his fists and letting out a frustrated sigh, completely loosening his tie and throwing it onto the ground, screaming in rage as Mumbo stomped on his tie, before breaking down into tears once more, his emotions a greater mess than he was.

"Mumbo." A voice called, Grian having to take a few moments to realize that it was his own. The Redstoner looked up, his face had been shoved in his hands. His face was stained with redstone and blood, his hair slightly longer and stubble growing on his face. Mumbo's eyes were cold and empty, a broken man behind that saddened stare.

Grian took a slow step forward, Mumbo wincing as if he was in pain. The small hermit continued, one slow step at a time, the insane Redstoner shaking and crying as he continued forward. Iskall swallowed the lump in their throat before the Swede joined Grian, slowly approaching Mumbo in hopes not to scare him.

"Please, stay away from me!" Mumbo screamed, holding his ears and shutting his eyes, pulling on the long hair on the side of his head. The Redstoner broke into sobs, the blood and redstone staining the tears that fell down the side of his face. "I'll only hurt you..."

"You aren't going to hurt us," Iskall said calmly, slowly reaching out and taking Mumbo's hand, helping sit the Redstoner onto the soft grass below. Grian took a seat on the other side of Mumbo, reaching out his hand and gently rubbing the insane man's back in hopes to calm him down.

"I-I shouldn't be here," Mumbo spike in between sobs, Grian and Iskall holding the Redstoner's hands while silently listening to his pitiful cries for help. "I should be dead, I should be the one in those traps, It should have been me, not the hermits..."

"Don't say that, you'll only make yourself feel worse..." Grian said with compassion, Mumbo letting out a frustrated yell and stood up, pacing back and forth once more.

"I want to hurt you guys! I want to make you feel what I was put through!" Mumbo screamed in anger, once more slamming his foot onto the worn-out red tie sitting on the grass. He continued to scream in rage, before breaking out into tears, the cycle of his insanity continuing.

“Mumbo, please,” Grian pleaded with the redstoner, taking his arm and trying his hardest to calm his friend down. “Stop the traps. We can still fix this!”

“And why should I?!” Mumbo sneered, shoving Grian off of him. “They turned their backs on me when I needed them most! I needed help and they tied me up, torturing me until I said what I had done! So why should I help them?!”

“Because you don’t want this.” Iskall said, standing up and joining Grian’s side. “You know that this will kill them all, and it will leave you alone, forever. You don’t want to hurt your friends, Mumbo. You’re just confused.”

Mumbo bit his lip, taking a step back as he struggled to process the things which he had heard. The Redstoner looked to the ground, his muddied tie resting underneath his foot.

“You may not help us,” Grian started, turning his back on the bloody man, the small builder looking back at his insane friend. “But we’re going to go and save our friends.”

Iskall and Grian turned towards the dark jungle, moving through the greenery. Mumbo looked from the tie underneath his foot, resting in the mud, to his friends who were walking away. The insane man held his breath, lifting his tie out of the mud and fixing it on his neck, a sigh of relief escaping his lips as he finished tying it.

“Wait.” Mumbo called, the two turning back, and watching as the Redstoner took a step forward, his eyes having a glint of hope shining through the sadness.

“I’m coming with you.”


	24. Chapter 24

The three walked in silence, Mumbo trailing behind his fellow architects. The insane Redstoner struggled to hold back all the emotions that he was feeling, his mind swirling with his pained thoughts. Mumbo wrestled with the tie wrapped around his neck, slightly loosening it as he continued to think to himself.

_Why do I trust them? They'll only hurt me like everyone else. They're going to leave me. They're going to lock me away for hurting their friends._ Mumbo thought while glaring at the two hermits in front of him, continuing to pull on his tie.

_The hermits all hurt me. They cracked me. I can't take this. He thought, Mumbo's steps beginning to slow, as his thoughts began to speed up. But...They didn't mean to hurt me, did they? The hermits were just worried, right? They would never hurt me on purpose...._

_Of course they would. Who am I kidding? They'll want me dead after all this. They'll want me to suffer. Will I let that happen? Do I deserve it? Why am I like this..?_

"Mumbo?"

The sound of his name snapped the man out of his thoughts, Mumbo looking up at the two hermits in front of him, although his vision didn't seem right. Everything was blurry, all was red in his eyes, and the two looked like they wanted to hurt him.

"Mumbo, you're crying. Are you okay?"

The sound of Grian's voice didn't reach Mumbo. He was lost in a maze of his own subconscious, the Redstoner looking down at his blistered hands, which were shaking. Everything was red, all other color drained away from the world. He wasn't seeing straight, everything beginning to spin.

"Mumbo, Mumbo can you hear us?!" Iskall asked, taking a step forward towards the Redstoner, who took a step back in response. They were going to hurt him. They were going to punish him for the things that he had done.

_Don't._

_Please._

_I'm begging you._

_I don't want this. I don't want to be hurt._ Mumbo sobbed in his mind, unable to choke out a sound. The Redstoner felt like he was being crushed by a weight, gasping for breath and hyperventilating as his mind was in a state of panic.

"MUMBO!"

The voice was finally clear. Reluctantly, the Redstoner opened his eyes, his breaths slow as he noticed Grian and Iskall standing over him. Mumbo was laying on the ground, his head feeling as though it was splitting in two. Iskall offered their hand to the broken man, Mumbo's gaze locked on his friend's hand. He pushed Iskall's hand away, standing on his own.

"Mu-"

"Let's go." The Redstoner said without hesitation, his voice blank and empty, as he shoved past Iskall and Grian, walking into the forest. The two hermits looked at one another before running after Mumbo, the three continuing to walk in silence.

Mumbo completely loosened his tie, letting the dirty red cloth hang around his neck. He ignored the two hermits beside him for the remainder of the walk.

~~~~~~

False was stuck in one of the rooms with Ren, Keralis, Tango, and an unconscious Docm77. The door that had closed behind the group was lock, they couldn't turn back. Ahead was a long, empty hallway, no traps or pressure plates, nor any tripwires.

"Something is definitely off.." Tango mumbled underneath his breath, holding Doc in his arms. False bit her lip, nervously stepping forward, breathing a sigh of relief when nothing happened. Carefully, the group moved down the hall, confused when nothing happened while they walked.

"I thought Mumbo was trying to kill us. Where are all the traps..?" Ren asked while looking to False, who simply shook her head, as she approached the door at the end of the hallway. With hesitation, she placed her hand on the doorknob and slowly opened the dark oak door.

Pistons and redstone activated, and on the other side of the room ahead, Bdubs's tank began to slowly fill with water.

"Bubbles!" Keralis called, Bdubs fighting with the iron blocks on his hands. There was a gag in his mouth, the builder fighting with the cloth wrapped around his face.

False ran over to the glass, banging her fists against the reinforced barrier. Keralis had tears on the ends of his large eyes, as he ran by False’s side, hopelessly slamming himself against the glass. Tango and Ren set Doc down, Ren joining the other two while Tango glanced around the room.

He approached the wall, knocking his fist against it and placing his ear against the wall. It was hollow, a room, most likely filled with redstone, behind the wall. Tango let out a breath, as he began to punch the concrete walls with his fists, ignoring the stinging pain as he continued trying to break through the wall.

The white walls were slowly dripping down with Tango’s blood, as his knuckles and fists were scratched and broken, although he continued through the pain. The block broke, much to Tango’s relief. He looked back at the other three hermits, the water was at Bdubs’s stomach.

Tango quickly crawled through the small opening he had created, looking at all the redstone and blocks that had been hidden in the wall. He held his breath, the Redstoner looking through all the different lines of red powder.

“Please, Please, _please_.” He mumbled, Tango running his hands through the powder, messing up the long streaks of red. The hidden room was dark, no light in the area other than the faint glow of the redstone. He rubbed the powder and destroyed the repeaters, trying to find a way to open the door. They could look for the code, but that would play right into Mumbo’s plan, it would probably kill them all.

The sound of pistons activated once more as Tango destroyed a redstone block, the faint sound of water rushing out of the tank being a relief to the Redstoner. He sat down in the dark room, Tango looking down at his redstone and blood stained hands. He could hear the sound of Keralis and Ren pulling Bdubs out of the tank, the group beyond the wall rejoicing in the rescue of their friend.

Tango’s moment of peace was interrupted, when he realized why Mumbo had left the room dark. The hiss of a creeper had come from behind the Redstoner, Tango looking back a second before his inevitable death.

**> TangoTek was blown up by a creeper**


	25. Chapter 25

"Well...here we are.." Mumbo said unenthusiastic. He opened the door, inviting the two hermits inside the rickety old shack that sat in the middle of the darkened forest. It didn't seem like much, Iskall and Grian sharing a confused look as they entered the wooden hut. The walls were lined with screens, all watching the underground bunker from all different directions and areas of the room. There were control panels and chests, levers and buttons, all bloodstained and almost horrifying to look at. Grian could only imagine what they would do if activated..

"So you can shut it all off from here..?" Iskall asked hopefully, looking to the mustached redstoner. His face was stern and cold, Mumbo walking past Iskall and over to the control panel, typing a few things on a keyboard, his eyes glued to the wall of surveillance.

"Uh-huh, yeah sure.." he growled with no emotion, Iskall and Grian barely paying attention to it as they examined Mumbo's shack. The builder of the group opened a double chest, glancing in at the bottles of a dark crimson liquid, some empty and other half-full. Grian lifted one of the full bottles into his hands, raising an eyebrow. Mumbo looked back, noticing the small hermit who was inspecting his items, the Redstoner running over and taking the red potion from Grian's hands, quickly slamming the chest shut.

"DON'T....Don't look through my stuff.." he snapped at the two, clenching the bottle in his hands. 

"Mumbo, that doesn't look like a strength potion..what is that..?" Iskall asked the insane male, the Redstoner rolling his eyes and carelessly throwing the bottle into the double-chest.

"I got it off of Ex and Hels when they died. There, happy?" Mumbo asked as he moved back to the control panel, Grian quietly opening the chest once more, pulling out a few of the empty glasses and frowning.

"But some of these are empty... Mumbo what exactly do these potions do?" Grian asked the Redstoner that began to ignore their questions, his hands no longer typing on the keyboard. He was staring off into space as he watched the footage from all around the underground bunker. His eyes trailed from screen to screen, before he stopped, noticing TangoTek beginning to destroy his redstone in an attempt to save Bdubs.

He found himself frowning, Mumbo’s hand reaching towards the keyboard. He paused, slightly fighting the mind-numbing pain in his body, the feeling that made him want to hurt the others. The feeling of revenge that caused his stomach to tie into knots, Mumbo growling a few cusses underneath his breath as he typed a command on the keyboard with a grin spreading across his face.

A trapdoor opened from the ceiling, three creepers dropping down behind Tango, who didn’t have enough time to react, only noticing the explosive creatures when it was too late. Mumbo watched with a smile as he exploded, his death message popping up in chat, causing Grian and Iskall to turn their attention towards the Redstoner, who chuckled underneath his breath as he spoke.

“Why did I think I could change? I need to do this, and you two can’t change my mind.” He growled while quickly turning around, ripping his loosened tie off and throwing it on the ground in rage.

“M-Mumbo..”

“SHUT UP!” He snapped at the builder, the Redstoner reaching for a lever and smiling at the two hermits that watched as Mumbo pulled the switch, the ground from underneath Iskall and Grian shaking. The floor opened up, the Swede falling into the pit of darkness below, while the male in the red sweater managed to grab onto the ledge, holding on for his life.

“M-Mumbo! P-pull me up! P-p-please!” Grian tried to reason with the Redstoner, who grabbed the builder’s wrist, slightly holding him and watching as Grian squirmed fearfully while hanging over the dark pit. He locked eyes with the insane male, Mumbo’s red hatred in his glare horrifying Grian.

“Goodbye Grian. If the fall doesn’t kill you, then the mobs most certainly will.” He smiled, letting Grian’s wrist slip right out of his hands, Mumbo watching as the builder fell through the darkness. The last thing Grian saw was a smile on the Redstoner’s face, before the trapdoor that had caused the two to fall closed, leaving Grian to fall in darkness, horrified as he waiting for the moment that he would it the ground.

He remembered a loud cracking sound, a sharp and burning pain, before falling unconscious, laying still on the cold stone floor of the pit, unable to see anything in the darkness. Grian felt more alone than he had ever felt before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the recent short chapters and extremely slow updates, I’ve been focusing more on my unfinished books on Wattpad, so I haven’t been on AO3 that often. I’ll try and update more : -)


	26. Chapter 26

"This is what I wanted..."

"So why am I unhappy?"

"Why did I do this?"

"They did nothing wrong..."

"What is wrong with me...?"

"They can't survive much longer, m-maybe I still have a chance to-"

"No. I did what had to be done."

"They weren't my friends."

"They were never my friends."

"They lied to me, they hurt me."

Mumbo looked down at his hands. Dry blood stained his clothes and hands, he was on his knees, crying on the trapdoor where Grian and Iskall had fallen into his trap. He wiped the salty tears that ran down his cheeks, heavily breathing as his emotions conflicted with one another.

The insane male looked to the chest that Grian and Iskall had looked through his stuff, Mumbo standing up and moving over to the storage box. He rummaged through the weapons and TNT, pulling out a netherrite axe and a couple of potions that he had stolen when Hels and Ex had burned to death.

"If you want something done right, then you need to do it yourself.."

~~~

"Gri....?" Iskall choked out with a sickly cough, the Swede covering their mouth as they continued to gag, sitting up in the dark pit the two were stuck in. Iskall continued to cough and wheeze until Grian was able to open his eyes, the back of his head bleeding from the impact. His vision was hazy, but the builder could see red staining Iskall's hand, which immediately caused Grian to shoot up and grab the Swede's wrist, inspecting the blood.

"Grian I'm fine-" the Swede was cut off by their own choking and gagging once more, Iskall pulling away from Grian and covering their mouth as they continued to choke out blood. The builder watched in horror as Iskall's face drained of color, they seemed to be getting worse by the second.

"Iskall, are you alright..?" Grian asked as he dreaded the Swede's sad look, Iskall flinching as they lifted their arm, their sleeve torn and bloody. Shot in Iskall's arm was a tipped arrow, potion particles swirling around the wound.

"There are traps down here.." Iskall said with caution before breaking into a coughing fit once more, Grian spotting a pressure plate near Iskall that the Swede must have landed on, which must have activated the trap.

"We need to remove that poisonous arrow before you get any worse.." Grian mumbled as he grabbed Iskall's wrist, steadily gripping the wooden part of the arrow and carefully extracting it from Iskall's arm. The Swede flinched in pain as the arrow was removed, although they let out a sigh of relief once Grian dropped the bloody arrow to the ground.

"It shouldn't get much worse now... Right?" Grian asked while hopelessly looking at the Swede, who didn't look any better, Iskall's pale exterior and weak figure getting sicker by the second.

"Can you stand..?" Grian asked as he tried to help Iskall to their feet, the Swede having to lean on Grian for support. Their legs shook before Iskall fell to there knees, barely able to move as they continued to choke and wheeze painfully.

"I-Iskall?" Grian caught the Swede before they collapsed, Iskall struggling to breathe. The builder rummaged through his inventory, his important weapons and armor had been taken away when Mumbo had tied him up, but Grian still had a few materials on him.

Grian threw together a lousy wooden pickaxe, mining a bit of coal that was sticking out of the wall. The builder managed to spot a few traps and pressure plates, destroying them before they could be triggered. He let out a sigh as he took the lumps of coal in his arms and dropped them into a pile with wood and sticks.

He started a small campfire near Iskall, the Swede slightly choking in his partially-conscious state. The flames grew and allowed the two hermits to warm themselves by the fire, Grian waiting nervously for Iskall to wake up.

~~~

Cub, Stress, TFC, Cleo, and Joe all ran into the second room, the piston door behind them closing as fast as they entered. The room was filled with heat, the hall made of blackstone, which seemed to lead to a glowing room up ahead. There was no pressure plates or tripwires, butthe group of hermits were careful nonetheless.

"I'll go first incase there's any hidden traps," TFC volunteered, although the group shared confused and scared looks with one another. They wanted to stop the older hermit, but he was already halfway down the hall, no traps anyway in the long hall. "I think it's safe!"

The others joined TFC as they entered the large room that had illuminated the hallway, the heat rising as the hermits took notice of the lava pool that sat under a cage, where GoodTimesWithScar was sitting, his back to the group as he mumbled underneath his breath, seemingly speaking to himself.

"Scar?!" Cub called out as he pushed through the group, stepping forward and onto a small trap, a rope tying around his leg and pulling the pharaoh up, causing him to dangle from the ceiling. The mayor looked up from the floor of his cage, tears running down his face as he looked at the group.

"Y-you came for me!" He noted happily, smiling as the hermits ran through the room, searching for a way to get both Scar and Cub down from their traps. The mayor's cell was slowly lowering into lava, making him a priority as Cub tried to free his leg from the rope that held him.

"Anyone have water? A fire resistant potion maybe?" Joe asked the large group, who all shook their heads sadly. Scar suddenly remembered his encounter with Mumbo when he was put in the cage, looking over at the buttons where Mumbo had activated the cage, the mayor pointing at them to alert the other hermits.

"Guys, that's the buttons that Mumbo used to start lowering my cage! Try using that!" Scar suggested to the group, Cleo running over to press the mess of controls and buttons. She was confused by the wall of buttons, hesitating before pressing one of the buttons on the blackstone wall. Tin jumped as the floor opened underneath him, Stress grabbing him by the collar of his shirt and pulling him out of the way before he fell into the pit of lava.

"T-thanks kid...I owe you one.." TFC thanks stress with a bead of sweat dripping down his forehead as he looked down at the pit of lava that he stood on the edge of. Cleo pressed a few more buttons, which shot arrows at Cub while he dangled, most missing but one cutting through the rope and causing Cub to fall, Joe running to try and catch him, although the pharaoh simply fell on Joe to break his fall.

"I'll find the right button!" Cleo yelled to the hermits, Scar panicking as the heat continued to rise, the cage slowly growing closer to the lava.

"Uh, p-please hurry it up a bit!" Scar urged the undead girl, Cleo panicking a bit before hitting one more button, the cage stopping a second before the floor touched lava, allowing everyone to breath a sigh of relief. Cub bolted to the cage and cut the lock off, opening the cage and helping Scar out of the cage with tears in his eyes.

“I’m so glad you’re okay!” Cub said happily while hugging Scar as he can, although he paused, his happy expression fading as he looked at the figure standing in the doorway.

“Well, wasn’t this nice?” Mumbo asked as he examined his axe, looking up at the terrified hermits with a smile on his face.

“Now, it seems like my little traps haven’t been working too well. Looks like I’ll be taking care of you myself...”


End file.
